Rare eagle chick is fed for the first time after specialists breed the only mating pair in Britain

This is the adorable moment a newly hatched rare eagle chick was fed for the first time - after wildlife specialists successfully bred the only mating pair in Britain.

The feisty little Steller’s Sea Eagle hatched at 8:50 yesterday morning at the National Centre for Birds of Prey, in Helmsley, North Yorks., delighting conservationists.

The species, which is native to Kamchatka Peninsula, in Far East Russia, is considered “globally threatened and vulnerable”, with only around 5000 left in the wild.

Charlie Heap, director of the bird sanctuary, said his team was “living the dream” after their adult female, Inowashi, 13, produced two eggs this spring.

He said: “It’s the best thing ever. We’ve had a couple of false starts along the way, and I was forced to wait quite a long time.

“But it’s a real living the dream moment, and we're achieving ambitions to be doing things like this. It’s amazing – just perfect!”

The sea eagle is one of the largest birds of prey – weighing as much as 20lb (9kg) when fully grown and boasting a wingspan of up to 8ft (245cm).

But Charlie explained that the magnificent looking birds are in decline as their native habitat is shrinking due to oil drilling off the coast of Siberia, Russia.

Filmed 16th March 2022.