An eagle which broke its wing has been dubbed a miracle after being nursed back to health for over a year by its devoted parents.
Experts were stunned after spotting two white-tailed eagles caring for their injured chick in behaviour never before witnessed in the species.
The male chick had fallen from the pair’s nest two years ago during bad weather, which resulted in a significant break to its left wing.
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It continued to be fed by its parents but took to the skies weeks after its uninjured sibling, which flew off in autumn, as is typical of the species.
The injured bird was nicknamed Kinky because of the visible kink in its wing from the injury.
In an unprecedented observation which stunned experts, Kinky was spotted the following breeding season continuing to be fed by his parents at a new nest site.
He was described by RSPB expert Dave Sexton as a miracle and highlighted a caring side to the species not often seen, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Despite Kinky’s survival, there were fears he would not be able to live independently because his wobbly flight may impact his ability to hunt.
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He was last seen in the autumn of 2024, still with his parents, before disappearing from the area.
This year, his parents were spotted breeding once again, with Kinky nowhere in sight, leading to fears that he had not survived his first winter alone.
But on July 1, an immature white-tailed eagle was spotted by Blair Ketteringham, a crew member of the Mull Charters vessel Lady Jayne, circling over the island of Forsa in Loch na Keal in Mull.
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Ketteringham quickly noticed that the bird had a distinctive kink in its wing and snapped some pictures, which he immediately sent to Sexton with the message, ‘he lives’.
“It was 2 pm when the WhatsApp message and photo came through,” said Sexton.
“I was just having a cup of tea and nearly spilt the lot when I looked at it.
“Frankly, I was in disbelief as I seriously doubted if Kinky could survive last winter without his parents to support him.
“Clearly, they had to move on with their lives and are finally breeding again this year, but of Kinky, there’d been no sign despite our appeal.
“He was soaring high over Eorsa like any other eagle would, and eventually came down to land where he interacted briefly with a different adult sea eagle.
“It’s testament to his strength of character and incredible survival skills that he seems to have overcome his major injury, with a lot of help from mum and dad.”
He added: “For most eagles, a broken wing would be a death sentence as they’re unable to hunt and feed.
“But Kinky is a shining example of what perseverance can achieve.
“What the future holds for him, now aged two years old, is impossible to predict.
“But I wouldn’t mind betting he goes from strength to strength as he approaches adulthood in three years.
“He’s one of Mother Nature’s survivors.
“What a bird!”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the white-tailed eagles’ reintroduction to Scotland.
The species went extinct in the country in 1918 when the last native wild bird was shot in Shetland.
A reintroduction project by NatureScot using chicks donated from Norway has seen them successfully re-establish a self-sustaining population, with an estimated 200 pairs now in the UK.
Earlier this year, RSPB Scotland announced the death of Scotland’s oldest White-tailed Eagle, Frisa, at 32 years old.
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