How to spot White-Tailed or Sea Eagles in Scotland

The Sea Eagle is Scotland’s largest bird of prey and is the fourth largest eagle species in the world.

The bird’s median wingspan of 281cm earns it the moniker ‘the flying barn door’. So where can you see this impressive bird, and how would you recognise it? Here are our tips on spotting White-Tailed or Sea Eagles.

• Read on: Scotland’s other large eagle – Top Tips to Spot the Golden Eagle

First a bit of history:

• Hundreds of years ago Sea Eagles or White-tailed Eagles were found all over the UK.
• The last Sea Eagle in Scotland, an old female, was shot on the island of Unst in Shetland in 1918.
• Sea cliffs are their last refuge but they also nest inland near lochs (lakes) where they hunt for ducks and fish or just scavenge.
• There were attempted reintroductions in Perthshire and The Fair Isle in the 1950’s and 60’s but these failed.
• From 1975 to 1985 a major reintroduction effort took place on Rum,  in Wester Ross in the 1990’s and Fife between 2007 and 2012.
• The population is now well over 200 adult birds.

Example of the average wingspan of a white-tailed eagle.