The largest population of white-tailed sea eagles is found along the Norwegian coastline, but they also inhabit remote lakes and marshes across Europe and Asia, often at inland locations.

The white-tailed sea eagle is a scavenger, feeding primarily on carrion but also hunting seabirds, fish, and smaller mammals.
It builds large nests from branches and twigs, typically in tall trees or cliffs. The female lays two eggs on average, which are incubated by both parents for approximately six weeks. The chicks fledge the nest after about ten weeks. While the species has a slow breeding rate, they can live up to 60 years.

Ireland is the only country to have lost its entire eagle population. The white-tailed sea eagle became extinct in Ireland in 1901, and the Golden eagle followed shortly after. Eagles, as apex predators, are vulnerable to secondary poisoning from contaminated prey and face persecution from farmers and gamekeepers who view them as threats to livestock.
The Golden Eagle Trust Limited manages two eagle reintroduction programs in Ireland: one for Golden eagles in Donegal and another for white-tailed sea eagles in Killarney, Co. Kerry. The latter program has been instrumental in helping to reintroduce self-sustaining populations of white-tailed sea eagles to southwestern Ireland after more than a century of absence.

During the breeding season, sea eagles require 500-600 g of food per day to support their young. In the winter, when the birds are less active, their daily food intake decreases to 200-300 g.

In addition to supporting the Irish government’s reintroduction program in Killarney, since 1991, Fota Wildlife Park has successfully bred five white-tailed sea eagle chicks. Fota Wildlife Park hopes to continue contributing to the species' recovery in Ireland.
In recent years, Fota has expanded the sea eagle exhibit, allowing the birds to fish in an area above the grey seal's habitat, simulating their natural feeding behaviour in the wild.