2020 has been a very difficult year for people all over the world. But it has been a brilliant year for the Icelandic Sea Eagle, RUV reports.
Since monitoring of the Icelandic Sea Eagle population began in 1959, only once have more young hatched than this year. Last year’s record stands at 56 young with 51 being born this year across 60 nests.
There are currently around 85 breeding pairs of Icelandic Sea Eagles across the country, up massively from the 48 breeding pairs in 2015. Most of them can be found at Breiðafjörður, but they also nest in Faxafloí and Húnaflói.
The Icelandic Sea Eagle, also known as the White Tailed Eagle, is one of the world’s largest birds of prey and was feared to be on the brink of extinction just four decades ago. The population plummeted since the late 19th century when farmers began killing the birds and destroying nests to protect their livestock. But thanks to strict protection laws, it seems the birds are flourishing, and will, perhaps, become a more common site in the near future.
Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.
You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
