White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) lives in northern forests across Northern Europe. It feeds on fish and birds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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A Greenland specimen measured a wingspan of 2.53 m and another apparently reached 2.6 m, making them the longest recorded for the species. The usual span of a white-tailed eagle falls between 1.78 and 2.45 m, so these individuals exceed the normal range by a substantial margin. Such extreme measurements underline the bird's reputation for possessing perhaps the greatest wingspan of any living eagle, a trait that aids its soaring over vast water bodies.
Among living eagles, the white-tailed eagle may have the largest wingspan, typically ranging from 1.78 to 2.45 m. Its body length varies between 66 and 94 cm, yet the wing chord often outstretches that of comparable raptors. The only comparable rival is the Steller's sea eagle, which can match the median wingspan but exceeds the white-tailed eagle in overall weight and length.
Male white-tailed eagles typically weigh between 3.1 kg and 5.4 kg, while females are larger, usually ranging from 4 kg to 6.9 kg. Across the species the average body mass is about 5 kg, reflecting a modest sexual dimorphism common among sea eagles. These weight figures place the white-tailed eagle among the heaviest eagles in Europe, though still lighter than its larger cousin, the Steller's sea eagle.
For about a hundred years from the early 1800s to World War II the species suffered systematic persecution, habitat loss and later poisoning from pesticides. These pressures caused widespread nesting failures that still affect populations today.
The white-tailed eagle forms a species pair with North America's bald eagle, sharing a similar ecological niche. Both act as apex predators and opportunistic scavengers across their respective ranges.
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As the White-tailed Eagle soars through the misty dawn, its broad wings beat with a slow, deliberate rhythm, casting a shadow over the rugged landscape below. With eyes that pierce the gloom like polished onyx, this majestic hunter scans the terrain for the telltale glint of fish scales or the rustle of small mammals, its acute senses honed to perfection in a realm of rugged beauty. In a fluid extension of power and precision, the eagle tucks its wings and plunges downwards, a swift and deadly arrow of feathers and talons, striking its prey with unerring accuracy.
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