White-tailed Eagle is also known as Sea Eagle or Erne and
was known in Britain over a thousand years ago. This is a
very large eagle which breeds in northern Europe and Asia.
It has been successfully re-introduced into the Western
Isles of Scotland and it now breeds on the islands of Mull,
Skye, Lewis as well as the mainland coast of Wester Ross.
White-Tailed Eagle is still a rare breeder in Britain
following its extinction and subsequent reintroduction but
the largest population in Europe is found along the coast of
Norway. The second part of its scientific name 'albicilla'
was coined in 1476 and is from the Latin 'albi' white and 'cilla'
tail. The reference to 'cilla' tail however is spurious, the
word was extracted from the Wagtails 'motacilla' i.e. 'mota'
move therefore 'cilla' was assumed to refer to tail.
There has been just one White-tailed Eagle reported from S.
Gloucestershire;
1871: (1)
Sometime in December this year an immature male was
‘obtained’ at Dodington Park. This occurrence constitutes
the first report of this species in S. Gloucestershire.