Rare white-tailed eagles soar back from extinction in southern Britain

Conservationists ‘encouraged’ as youngsters in reintroduction scheme fly as far as Scotland and back, Jane Dalton reports

Four out of six white-tailed eagles released last year survived (PA)

Rare white-tailed eagles released in southern England have been spreading their wings this year, according to experts who reintroduced them.

Six of the birds – driven to extinction in Britain last century – were released on the Isle of Wight last year, and this year were spotted on their first major exploratory flights, which ranged as far as Scotland, Yorkshire and Norfolk.

Tracked by solar-powered satellite tags, the eagles even flew over populated places, including central London, giving people living under lockdown a chance to see a long-lost natural sight.