The
White-tailed Sea Eagle is the reigning king of the skies in northern Europe and
Asia.
As the
largest European raptor, they are an apex hunter (top of the food chain). They can be found soaring along the
coast at heights of 200 - 300 meters looking for prey (typically fish) in calm
waters. They also possess, on
average, one of the greatest wingspans among eagles at 1.78 to 2.45 meters (8.04 feet) and
rival only the Stellar’s Sea Eagle for the title of greatest wingspan! The Stellar’s Sea Eagle although larger in weight and length
is the closest rival for median wingspan at 1.95 to 2.5 meters (6.4 to 8.2
feet) amongst living eagles. A
Bald Eagle by comparison has a wingspan of 5.8 to 7.5 feet.
A
Norway White-tailed Sea Eagle stretching its broad wings in flight!
The
White-tailed Sea Eagle has longed been admired for its size and majesty among
early European societies. The
Gaelic name, iolaire suile nag rein, translates as “eagle with the sunlit eye” inspires a
sense of fantasy and awe. The name
may reflect the White-tailed Sea Eagle’s very prominent pale yellow eyes.
On the Orkney Isles, an
archipelago north of Scotland, a 3000-year-old tomb was found in the 1950’s
with bones belonging to the White-tailed Sea Eagle species scattered among
human remains. While the exact
purpose of the Sea Eagle bones hasn’t been determined, researchers speculate
that they are religiously important or a clan’s symbolic sign. In some places in Scotland some people
would actually leave their dead out in the open to be scavenged by eagles
before burying the bones.
Fishermen of the Shetland
Islands, farther north than the Orkney Isles, still refer to the White-tailed
Sea Eagle by its Anglo-Saxon name, Erne or “the soarer”.
Centuries back, fishermen believed the White-tailed Sea Eagle had
magical abilities to call fish up to the surface with belly up in submission
for a successful catch! In hopes
of improving catches, fishermen would rub eagle fat on their hooks.
Unfortunately, the
White-tailed Sea Eagle has been extirpated in the British Isles since the early
1900’s due to persecution and loss of habitat. The last Sea Eagle in the British Isles, also a rare albino,
lived on the Shetland Isles and was protected for thirty years by the island’s
inhabitants. Sadly, this beautiful
bird was shot in 1917, officially making the White-tailed Sea Eagle extinct in
the UK. (Extirpation refers to a species which ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions may be followed by a replacement of the species taken from other locations as is the case for the White-tailed Sea Eagle.)
In the last decade or so,
reintroduction efforts have seen the slow return of the White-tailed Sea Eagle
to the shores of Scotland, and more recently Ireland. Chicks from thriving Sea Eagle populations in Norway were
raised and then released to establish their own territories and mates.
Cousteau, WBS's White-tailed Sea Eagle (photo: Jessica Bunke)
If you wish to meet this
bird of legend, come to the World Bird Sanctuary to meet the White-tailed Sea
Eagle’s ambassador--Cousteau. He
lives on the WBS display line year round for the public to see. Often times, you’ll see and hear him
calling out with a loud keening greeting.
Cousteau is available for
adoption in our Adopt A Bird program.
Your adoption fee will help to feed, house and care for Cousteau in the
coming year.
Submitted by Jessica
Bunke, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer
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