Two golden eagle chicks have hatched in Sicily's largest protected park, its zoologist said on Friday.
The hatching of the two chicks in the Nebrodi Park in the north-east of the region could be seen online thanks to a webcam that has been broadcasting images from the nest on the park's website.
''The pair of golden eagles that makes its nest in this site is among the most prolific in Italy, an unequivocable indicator of the environmental suitability of the park and the abundance of prey available,'' said the park's zoologist Antonio Spinnato.
The number of golden eagles in Italy dropped dramatically after World War Two but protection schemes have recently pushed numbers back up to around 500 pairs, concentrated in the Apennines and the Alps.
In other countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, the bird has been reintroduced in lower-lying areas.
