22:59, 28 AUGUST 2015
BY KARRIE GILLETT
A spokesman for RSPB Scotland said that the 18-year-old bird seemed to have been involved in a fight with a younger rival
Britain’s oldest-known golden eagle has been found dead after an apparent territorial dispute with a younger rival.
The bird was ringed at just a few weeks old in June 1997 and its carcass was discovered close to a nest site in Sutherland almost exactly 18 years later.
RSPB Scotland said tests confirmed it had died from natural causes.
A spokesman said: “We think what might have happened is that a younger bird has come along and there has been a bit of a tussle because the older one doesn’t want to give up its territory, and these fights can result in death.
“Although conjecture, we think that is the most likely explanation.”
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