White-tailed eagles: From 'the greatest wildlife crime imaginable' to Nature's most wonderful comeback story

For most of the last 2,000 years, the white-tailed eagle — or sea eagle — has been one of the most common birds of prey in Britain.

That all ended in horrendous fashion from the late 18th century onwards. Shooting, poisoning, egg collection, a mania for taxidermy and more combined to see this majestic creature — affectionately dubbed the 'flying barn door — hunted to extinction in Britain. The last bird is thought to have been killed in 1918.

Fast forward a century and they are now one of the great success stories of nature. Starting with four chicks brought to R...