A white-tailed eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla, is on the cites list of endangered species, and so it is a rare opportunity and great chance for a taxidermist to mount one of these large birds of prey. In Germany, the white-tailed eagle, which is a relative to the American bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), has a breeding population in the northeast of the country.

The bird that was mounted was a large adult female found in February 2001 with the following measurements: length overall length 35.43 inches, length of wings 26 inches, spread of the wings 90.15 inches and weight 8.82 pounds. (A bird this size in good condition normally should weigh about 14.3 pounds). There was no visible cause of death. No injury was to be seen, the inner organs looked healthy and the feathers were clean, but the eagle hadn’t had any food for a long time. Such a precious and rare animal is predestinated for mounting, both the bird and the skeleton. Because of this, it was necessary to make a boneless mount and duplicate the visible parts, like the bill and the feet. ...