FOUR white-tailed eagle chicks have been released into the wild in Ireland as part of a project to reintroduce the once extinct species back to the island.
Tánaiste Michéal Martin and Ireland’s Nature Minister Malcolm Noonan were in attendance today when the chicks were released at Killarney National Park, where a long-term reintroduction programme is underway.
“It is a remarkable experience to witness these majestic birds in their natural habitat here at Killarney National Park,” Mr Martin said.
“I’ve been following this reintroduction programme with real interest since the first chicks were released here at the Park in 2007,” he added.
“The white-tailed Eagle is an important part of our biodiversity, but also our heritage.
“Their reappearance in our skies is a source of wonder and interest for local and international visitors to Killarney National Park.”
Once native to Ireland, the white-tailed eagle became extinct in the nineteenth century.
As a bird of prey, they play an important part in protecting biodiversity and since 2007 Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has been working with a range of partners to reintroduce the species to Irish skies.
As part of phase two of this reintroduction project, a number of chicks are being brought over to Ireland from Norway, where they are cared for in safe and secure locations until they are ready to be released.
Today’s event sees the first four of 27 chicks which are due to be released in Ireland this year sent into the wild.
“This Programme is one of a number of NPWS initiatives underway to restore our biodiversity,” Minister Noonan said.
“This is the second phase of this reintroduction project, and we now have evidence of white-tailed eagles breeding in counties further afield – from the south of the island in Cork right up to Donegal.”
He added: “Killarney is a special place for the white-tailed eagle.
“This year, in Killarney National Park, two chicks have successfully fledged for the fourth year in a row.”
All of the chicks are fitted with satellite tags so that their movements can be tracked as they disperse and establish in new areas, the NPWS has confirmed.
As they make their way thorugh the country they will be vulnerable to external factors, including adverse weather conditions, avian influenza and disease, and illegal poisonings.
A protected species under Ireland’s Wildlife Act, white-tailed eagles feed on a wide variety of prey, including fish, waterbirds and carrion.
They settle on territories around the coast and large freshwater lakes in order to breed.