Police are following up “specific information” passed to wildlife and environment officer Alan Stewart, who today appealed for information.

“We recently received confidential information that a white-tailed eagle had been killed on an Angus grouse moor,” PC Stewart said.

“The person who made contact was very specific about where it was killed and even named an individual.

“Though a body has not been recovered, what backs up this information were the regular sightings of the white-tailed eagle in the area up to the approximate date of the report of it having been killed.

“Since then, despite the bird being radio tagged, it has disappeared off the radar. The bird was regularly spotted in north-east Angus, especially between Kirriemuir and Montrose.

“One farmer was so pleased about a sighting, and the fact he managed to get a close-up photograph of the bird, he sent the photograph to me as proof that we really had white-tailed eagles back in this area.”

PC Stewart added, “Most shooting estates give us no cause for concern but the particular estate named by the informant has been at the centre of concerns over illegal practices in the past few years.”

Sea Eagles were formerly widespread across Scotland but were persecuted to extinction, the last one being shot in 1918.

However, the birds were reintroduced on the Isle of Rum, with eagles brought from Norway between 1975 and 1983, and then on Wester Ross between 1993 and 1998. The programme succeeded, with 42 pairs now breeding in west Scotland, and the final phase of reintroduction began in east Scotland this year. Fifteen chicks were brought from Norway to Fife and released in August.

Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland, said, “We are shocked and saddened that the gift of sea eagles from the people of Norway to Scotland should be blighted by what appears to be a deliberate act of illegal persecution by a selfish estate.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Tayside Police on 01382 302200 or contact PC Stewart directly on 01738 892650.