Highlands eagle is a hardy old bird

A tagged white-tailed eagle has survived for 25 years in the wild, ornithologists have found.

The bird of prey, which was fitted with a ring as a fledgling in 1996, was spotted in the Highlands last year, making it the oldest known bird of the species in Britain.

In contrast, at 10 years old, a tiny chiffchaff tagged at Rutland Water in July 2009 has become the UK’S oldest known bird of its species, according to the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) latest ringing report. The species, with a wingspan of just 7in, has a typical lifespan of two years.

Last year the BTP ringed 930,088 birds in Britain and Ireland.

Rob Robinson, a researcher for the trust, said: “By re-encountering these birds, either through reading of rings in the field or through recapture, researchers can determine whether survival rates are increasing or decreasing.”