Norwegian white-tailed eagles (called havørn) are suddenly flying high in Ireland, and helping to revive the Emerald Isle’s own eagle population that had been threatened with extinction.
Ten young havørn captured in Trøndelag (central Norway) were sent over the North Sea to Ireland, reports Norway’s environmental authority (Miljødirektoratet). Current plans call for 40 more to be sent to Ireland over the next five years.
“The havørn was nearly extinct in Norway also, a few decades ago,” Ellen Hambro, leader of the environmental authority, told news bureau NTB. “It’s wonderful that our eagle population is now so large and sustainable that we can help other countries that want to revive the species.”
The Norwegian eagles sent to Ireland have so far produced 26 more young eagles, and the first of those are now old enough to reproduce themselves. Officials in Spain are also in talks with their Norwegian counterparts to fetch some Norwegian eagles.
newsinenglish.no staff
