White-tailed Eagle
Haliaeetus albicilla
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusHaliaeetus (Northern Sea-Eagles and Fish-Eagles)
- SpeciesHaliaeetus albicilla (White-tailed Eagle)
The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), sometimes known as the "sea eagle", is a large bird of prey, widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like other eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which also includes other diurnal raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers. One of up to eleven members in the genus Haliaeetus, which are commonly called sea eagles, it is also referred to as the white-tailed sea-eagle. Sometimes, it is known as the ern or erne (depending on spelling by sources), gray sea eagle and Eurasian sea eagle. While found across a wide range, breeding from as far west as Greenland and Iceland across to as far east as Hokkaido, Japan, they may be scarce and have thinly distributed nesting due to human activities, including habitat alteration and destruction of wetlands, about a century of systematic human persecution (from the early 1800s to around World War II) followed by inadvertent poisoning and epidemics of nesting failure due to chemical pesticides and organic compounds, which have threatened eagles since the 1950s and continue to be a concern. For these reasons, the white-tailed eagle was considered endangered or extinct in several countries. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Eagle sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 24 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Vatnajokull National Park
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 11 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 12 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 14 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 15 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 16 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 17 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 18 | Thingvellir National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 19 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 20 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a White-tailed Eagle in Vatnajokull National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Eagle sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 24 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see White-tailed Eagle in Vatnajokull National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for White-tailed Eagle in Vatnajokull National Park in our monthly data.