Experts Warn White-Tailed Eagle Reintroductions Threaten Seabird Colonies

Naturalists are split regarding plans to bring back white-tailed eagles to England and Wales, with critics warning that the predatory birds put endangered seabird populations at risk of collapse. Species such as puffins, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, and kittiwakes could face destruction of their breeding colonies as the raptors are reintroduced. While white-tailed eagles were driven to extinction in Britain in 1918, recent decades have seen successful reintroduction efforts in Scotland and the Isle of Wight. However, current proposals to release dozens more birds in areas like Gwent and Exmoor have sparked sharp disagreement among conservation groups over the potential risks to already declining British seabirds.