Daily Times

An eagle driven to extinction in the UK due to illegal killing more than 100 years ago has been spotted flying over the Cornwall coast for the first time. Other white-tailed eagles were seen earlier this year in Somerset, Kent and Norfolk, with two birds – known as G318 and C393 – flying as far north as Yorkshire. However, this is the first time one of the species has ventured to Cornwall since its reintroduction. The white-tailed eagle disappeared from the UK during the early 20th century but has been brought back from the brink. The species is the largest bird of prey in the UK with a wingspan pushing eight feet and a body length of up to three feet. It suffered huge declines in Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries and it is still persecuted by gamekeepers because it feeds on birds, rabbits and hares. However, numbers are now growing after the legally-protected birds were bred in captivity on the Isle of Wight and released into the wild last year.