Britain's protected birds of prey still being shot, trapped and poisoned, says RSPB

Britain's protected birds of prey still being shot, trapped and poisoned, says RSPB Fewer then 150 pairs of White-tailed Eagles are thought to live in the UK Some of Britain's rarest birds of prey are still being illegally killed despite decades of legal protection, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The charity's report, to be published on Wednesday, records 921 confirmed attacks between 2015 and 2024, with more than half, according to the RSPB, on or near land m

Shooting organisations strongly deny persecution is widespread across the industry. They say it is carried out by a small minority and condemn it outright. But the RSPB is calling for gamebird shooting in England and Wales to be licensed, arguing estates should face tougher consequences when protected birds are killed on their land. Targeted species include eagles, red kites, peregrine falcons, hen harriers, goshawks and barn owls. The RSPB says it only classifies cases as "confirmed" when they are backed by forensic, eyewitness or video evidence. Its investigations unit, staffed by former police officers and bird experts, works to identify those suspected of killing protected birds. The RSPB says evidence gathered by its investigators, including hidden-camera footage, has helped secure three convictions this year. Two involved birds being beaten to death after they were caught in traps. One case involved a buzzard , the other a goshawk. Some live-capture traps are permitted for pest control of species like crows and pigeons, but traps must be checked regularly and non-target species released unharmed. The third case involved covert surveillance at a hen harrier roost in the Yorkshire Dales where investigators captured evidence of a planned attempt to kill one of the UK's rarest birds of prey. Covert footage from the RSPB was used as evidence in a hen-harrier persecution case RSPB footage showed head gamekeeper Racster Dingwall arriving with a shotgun while hidden audio recorded a discussion of killing other protected birds and whether a harrier might be satellite-tagged.

Key points

• Shooting organisations strongly deny persecution is widespread across the industry.
• They say it is carried out by a small minority and condemn it outright.
• But the RSPB is calling for gamebird shooting in England and Wales to be licensed, arguing estates should face tougher consequences when protected birds are killed on their land.
• Targeted species include eagles, red kites, peregrine falcons, hen harriers, goshawks and barn owls.
• The RSPB says it only classifies cases as "confirmed" when they are backed by forensic, eyewitness or video evidence.