Public invited to name white-tailed eagle chick in Co Cork

The public has been invited to name a white-tailed eagle chick, who is preparing to leave the nest for good.

The chick's mother was one of 100 chicks brought from Norway to Ireland between 2007 and 2011 as part of a white-tailed eagle reintroduction project. She is the first female eagle to fledge in Co Cork in over 100 years.

The 15-week-old chick is “gradually finding her wings” and she recently made her longest flight yet, a distance of around 2km.

The chick, who weighed 6.8kg when she was tagged, was raised by a single female eagle after her dad disappeared when she was just over two weeks old, according to the Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve, where she lives.

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"The chick would not have survived without the help of National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) who provided supplementary food with the assistance of local fishermen, ferrymen and Fota Wildlife Park, " the reserve said.

Over the next few weeks she will learn to become independent and will leave her nest and, possibly the Glengarriff area, but the NPWS is inviting the public to name her first.

The chick is satellite tagged so it will be possible to follow her travels closely over the coming weeks and months, even after she leaves the nest.

Those seeking naming inspiration can observe the chick on the Eagle Cam via the Glengariff Woods Nature Reserve Facebook page.

However, the NPWS have warned the public that Eagle McEagleface is “not a name and will not be considered”.

To enter the naming competition, just suggest a name in the comments on the Facebook page and the staff there will pick a winner on August 14th.