Ireland’s white-tailed eagles went extinct due to human persecution, now the country has released 245 chicks in the wild about 100 years later
Once extinct in Ireland after decades of human persecution, the magnificent white-tailed eagle is soaring across the country’s skies again. Since 2007, Ireland has released 245 young eagles as part of a long-running reintroduction programme, and the population is now breeding and expanding on its own.In July 2026, a pair of white-tailed sea eagles successfully bred at Killarney’s Lough Léin for the fifth consecutive year, with two young birds fledging the nest. The National Parks and Wildlife Service estimates that around 150 white-tailed eagles now live in the wild in Ireland, with 17 known breeding pairs.
A bird lost to persecution
The white-tailed eagle was once a native part of Ireland’s landscape, but human persecution drove the species to extinction on the island during the 19th century. The birds were targeted because they were regarded as threats to expanding livestock, while shooting and poisoning contributed to their complete disappearance by 1912.More than a century later, conservationists decided to bring the species back. In 2007, Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service, working with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and the Golden Eagle Trust, began the first phase of a white-tailed eagle reintroduction programme. Between 2007 and 2011, 100 young eagles from Norway were released at Killarney National Park in County Kerry.The birds gradually dispersed across Ireland. In 2012, the first successful breeding in more than a century took place at Lough Derg in County Clare. By 2020, eight to 10 breeding pairs had already fledged 31 chicks across Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway and Tipperary.
A second push to secure the population
Despite those early successes, the population remained vulnerable. Avian influenza, extreme weather and illegal poisoning were among the threats that could undermine the recovery.In 2020, NPWS launched a second phase of the reintroduction project to strengthen the population. Young eagles aged seven to 10 weeks were brought from Norway, raised in secure facilities in Ireland and released once they were ready to fly. The birds were fitted with satellite tags so conservationists could follow their movements and survival.The programme continued until 2025. In its final year, 26 chicks were released, bringing the total number of white-tailed eagle chicks reintroduced to Ireland since 2007 to 245.The programme officially concluded in August 2025, with four chicks released at Killarney National Park. At that point, NPWS estimated that the wild population had reached roughly 150 birds, considered sufficient to maintain a self-sustaining population. But the end of the release programme does not mean the end of conservation work.
Eagles are now breeding on their own
The strongest sign of success is that Irish-born eagles are now reproducing in the wild. In July 2026, two young white-tailed eagles fledged from a nest at Lough Léin in Killarney, marking the fifth consecutive year that the pair had successfully bred. There are now 17 known breeding pairs across Ireland, although the exact number of chicks born in the wild in 2026 is not yet known.Moreover, the Fota Wildlife Park in County Cork announced the successful birth and fledging of a white-tailed sea eagle chick—the first chick of the species born at the park in more than a decade, as per a report by Good News Network. The eaglet hatched on April 13 to resident parents Áine and Tony, who, according to their caretakers, have taken naturally to the demanding job of raising Europe’s largest eagle.“The mother and father have done a great job,” said Jess Hodnett, Fota Wildlife Park’s Native Species Conservation Officer.The first successful breeding in modern times was recorded in 2012. Since then, the birds have established themselves in several parts of the country, including Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Tipperary and Donegal.The recovery has also changed attitudes. The programme involved working with farmers and local communities in areas where the eagles were released and eventually settled. NPWS says cooperation with landowners has been an important part of the effort to ensure the birds and farming communities can coexist.
Ireland’s giant bird of prey
The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), also known as the white-tailed sea eagle, is one of Europe’s largest birds of prey. Adults can have a wingspan of around 2.5 metres.Their diet is varied. They primarily eat fish but can also take waterbirds, rabbits and hares, while carrion forms an important part of their diet, particularly during winter. They generally build territories around coastlines and large freshwater lakes.The species is also a long-lived, slow-breeding bird. Females typically lay one to three eggs in late March or early April, with incubation lasting roughly 38 to 40 days. Chicks usually fledge after around 10 to 12 weeks and remain dependent on their parents for several more weeks.
The comeback is not without risks
Although Ireland’s population is now considered self-sustaining, the eagles remain vulnerable. Illegal poisoning and shooting continue to threaten the recovery. In 2025, an investigation followed the suspected poisoning of Caimin, one of Ireland’s oldest breeding white-tailed eagles, which had held territory at Lough Derg for 17 years. Another reintroduced eagle was confirmed to have been shot near Lough Owel in County Westmeath that same year.NPWS says illegal poisoning remains one of the biggest threats to the population. Avian influenza, adverse weather, lead poisoning and collisions with wind turbines have also contributed to eagle deaths.For now, however, the sight of young white-tailed eagles leaving nests in Killarney represents something that seemed impossible a few decades ago: a species once wiped out in Ireland is once again raising its young in the wild.
