The white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) became extinct in the UK in the early 20th Century due largely to a prolonged period of persecution. Since 1975, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the RSPB have been running an on-going reintroduction project to restore this iconic species to its former haunts. So far, 139 sea eagle nestlings from Norway have been released in western Scotland to re-establish a core breeding population. Sea eagles are large raptors that can take up to five years to reach maturity so population growth is a slow process; in 2006 there were 36 breeding pairs of sea eagles in Scotland, so although the population is growing, it is still small and vulnerable.
The Scottish sea eagle reintroduction is overseen by a Project Team which coordinates efforts to monitor and protect the eagles, and includes personnel from SNH, RSPB, Highland Foundation for Wildlife, Natural Research, and expert individuals.
 Beginning in 2007, the Project Team has initiated a new study to collect as many DNA samples as possible from adults and their offspring in western Scotland. Natural Research is coordinating this effort on behalf of the Project Team, in collaboration with RSPB and Scottish Raptor Study Group (SRSG) fieldworkers. Moulted feathers from adults are being collected from known nest and roost sites, and mouthswabs are being collected from nestlings as the primary sources of DNA.
These DNA samples will be used to assess the current genetic diversity of the population, in addition to piloting the method’s prospects for monitoring juvenile recruitment into the breeding population and annual turnover and survival of breeding adults at their nest sites. This information is crucial to help inform future management plans for re-introduced sea eagles in the UK.
DNA is being used as a tool by Natural Research and others to better monitor raptor populations including the effect persecution is having on them. Click on the link below to see how this tool is being used for goshawk and golden eagle population monitoring.
Project Collaborators: Sea Eagle Project Team, SRSG, WDNAS.
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For further information on the White-tailed sea eagle DNA project please contact: ruth.tingay@natural-research.org.
All photos copyright: Ronnie Gilbert.
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