# UKBirds

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## White-Tailed Eagle

### Haliaeetus albicilla

The White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) - also called the Sea Eagle, Erne (sometimes Ern), and White-tailed Sea-eagle - is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers. It is considered a close cousin of the Bald Eagle and occupies the same ecological niche, but in Eurasia.
The White-tailed Eagle is a very large bird. It measures 74-92 cm (29-36 in) in length with a 1.82-2.44 m (6.0-8.0 ft) wingspan. Females, typically weighing 4-6.9 kg (8.8-15 lb), are slightly larger than males, which weigh 3.1-5.4 kg (6.8-12 lb). The record weight was 7.5 kg (17 lb) for a specimen from Scotland, while a more recent huge female from Greenland reportedly spanned 2.53 m (8.3 ft) across the wings. The White-tailed Eagle is sometimes considered the fourth largest eagle in the world. It has broad "barn door" wings, a large head and a large thick beak. The adult is mainly brown except for the paler head and neck, blackish flight feathers, distinctive white tail, and yellow bill and legs. In juvenile birds the tail and bill are darker, with the tail becoming white with a dark terminal band in sub-adults.
Some individuals have been found to live over 25 years, 21 years on average.