White-tailed Eagle

Killarney Lakes

The lakes of Killarney, Co. Kerry

Wikicommons

Killarney Lakes
Wikicommons

Killarney Lakes

The lakes of Killarney, Co. Kerry

Wikicommons

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In 2007, 15 young White Tailed Eagles were released in Killarney National Park as part of the reintroduction of the species to Ireland and a further 20 were released in 2008. These birds of prey were once common throughout Ireland but became extinct over 100 years ago.

The young eaglets that were introduced to Killarney were collected from nests in Norway and form part of Irelands strive to reduce biodiversity loss under the UN Convention of Biological Diversity. While the project has been quite successful, a number of eagle have fallen victim to poison traps that were laid down during lambing seasons.

For further information on the White-tailed Eagle project, please see the Golden Eagle Trust website.