Tracking White-tailed Eagles in Finland
Merikotkien seurantaa Suomessa
Following a group of GPS- and accelerometer-tagged white-tailed eagle chicks in the Archipelago Sea as they grow, explore their home ranges, and become eagles.
Explore the tracker map →About the project
The project follows a cohort of young white-tailed eagles tagged with e-obs GPS and accelerometer trackers around the Archipelago Sea in south-west Finland. Each tag records the bird's position, altitude, speed and heading, alongside high-frequency accelerometer bursts that capture fine-scale movement and behaviour.
As the eagles grow, take their first flights, and begin to disperse, this map will start to show their journeys unfold. Tracking data is shared via Movebank.
This project works closely with the volunteers of the White-Tailed Eagle working group, and the Osprey Foundation. We are thankful for their continued support.
The project is funded by the Research Council of Finland.
The study at a glance
About the species
The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), known in Finnish as merikotka, is the largest bird of prey breeding in Finland and one of the largest eagles in the world.
- Wingspan up to 2.4 metres
- Diet of fish, waterbirds and carrion
- Nests in coastal archipelagos and around large lakes
- Recovered from near-extinction in Finland thanks to decades of conservation work
- Chicks fledge at around 10–12 weeks old
- Young eagles take about five years to reach full adult plumage
How the tracking works
Each eagle carries a small solar-powered e-obs tracker tag that records a GPS fix roughly every hour, including location, altitude, ground speed and heading. The same tag also records short bursts of tri-axial accelerometer data, which can later be used to study activity levels and behaviour such as resting, walking and flight. Data is uploaded periodically and published through Movebank for research and visualisation.