THE BIRDS OF SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE
THE BIRDS OF SOUTH
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
WHITE-TAILED EAGLE – Haliaetus albicilla
As with all reports of
rare and scarce birds they are subject to ratification by the respective
rarities committees
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 one White-tailed Eagle reported from S. Gloucestershire, in;
1871: (1)
Sometime in December an immature male was ‘obtained’ at Dodington Park. This occurrence constitutes the first record of this species for S. Gloucestershire.