Illegal killing of birds of prey branded ‘shameful’

A charity has blasted the “shameful” illegal killing of rare birds of prey.

Buzzards, red kites, goshawks, hen harriers, peregrine falcons and white-tailed eagles are among the victims of shootings, trappings and poisonings, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds revealed in a report on bird crime.

James Robinson, RSPB chief operating officer, said “Sadly, once again, the report documents the shameful illegal killing of rare and vulnerable birds of prey, an important part of our natural heritage.”

Hen harriers, a red-listed endangered species, have been “relentlessly targeted”, particularly in areas dominated by driven grouse moors – the field sport of killing red grouse. Since January 2022, 39 hen harriers have been killed or “suspiciously disappeared” across the UK, with eight satellite-tagged birds being persecuted or vanishing in the same area near Birkdale, North Yorkshire.

There were 61 confirmed bird of prey persecution incidents nationally, with at least 64% of them linked to land used for gamebird shooting.

Mr Robinson said: “Given the correlation in location between birds of prey persecution and land under game management, the RSPB is calling for greater regulation of shooting, in particular intensive forms of grouse shooting.

“A Bill to introduce licensing of grouse moors in Scotland to stop raptor persecution is now moving ahead and we need a similar response in England.”

Two of the most shocking incidents recorded against hen harriers include a Natural England satellite-tagged bird called Free which had its head pulled off while still alive.

In another incident, four hen harrier chicks were trampled to death in a nest being monitored by Natural England.

A young white-tailed eagle from the Government licensed re-introduction scheme on the Isle of Wight was confirmed poisoned on a shooting estate in West Sussex.

This was the first case of the species being illegally killed in England since their extinction from persecution in the 18th century.

The RSPB said: “Evidence shows on some shooting estates birds of prey are deliberately targeted to reduce potential predation on gamebird stocks and sometimes also to reduce disturbance to these quarry species on shoot days.”

The charity continues to call for the licensing of grouse shooting in England, alongside the introduction of a “meaningful” deterrent to the illegal killing of birds of prey.