Plans to reintroduce Ospreys into Ireland are at a "very advanced stage of design and finalisation", the National Parks and Wildlife Service has said.
Under the plans, around 50 to 70 Osprey chicks will be brought to Ireland from Norway over five years.
Ospreys became extinct in Ireland around the 17th century.
BirdWatch Ireland say a small number of Ospreys have migrated to Ireland in recent years, but have not nested and only stay a few weeks at a time.
The Osprey Reintroduction Programme will initially be focused in the southeast of the country.
In a statement, Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan described the project as "very exciting".
However, he added: "Projects like these are highly complex and entirely dependent on the support and collaboration of many people."
The NPWS say the programme will be "subject to biological, environmental and other natural factors".
