Eagle Spotted Over Reykjavík

Some capital area residents were treated to a rare sight this morning, when a white-tailed eagle was spotted flying over Reykjavík.

While most Reykjavík residents are quite accustomed to seeing seagulls, ravens and (especially this time of year) pink-footed geese in the area, few have ever laid eyes on the uncommon white-tailed eagle. That is, until this morning, RÚV reports. One was spotted flying near an apartment building in Hæðargarður, in east Reykjavík.

The white-tailed eagle is a rare enough sight in parts of Iceland where one is most likely to see one, such as in the Westfjords – the Icelandic Institute of Natural History estimated last year that there are only 48 eagle pairs in the country. However, last month Morgunblaðið published a photo of an eagle’s nest that had been spotted in Heiðmörk, just east of the capital area.

The news may mean more eagles flying over Reykjavík. Should that be the case, one can only hope Reykjavík eagles do not stalk road workers, as they are wont to do in the northwest.