RSPB Scotland has said it is “devastated” by the death of a hen harrier found shot and the disappearance of two more birds. The dead bird was discovered by a member of the public near Wanlockhead, in the south of Scotland, in June. Two other hen harriers last recorded in northern Scotland have also disappeared […]
Tag: birds of prey
Australian raptors start fires to flush out prey
Australian Aboriginal lore is replete with references to birds carrying fire, and some traditional ceremonies even depict the behaviour. Now ornithologists have collected accounts from witnesses across the savannas of Australia’s far north, known as the Top End, suggesting three Australian birds of prey species use smouldering branches to spread fires and scare prey into […]
Gruesome gamekeeper kept ‘kill list’ and dumped ‘1000 animals into stink pit’
A gamekeeper suspected of running up one of the biggest kill lists of endangered animals in Scottish history has escaped a jail sentence. Alan Wilson, 61, was convicted of illegally killing dozens of animals on Longformacus Estate near Duns in the Scottish Borders. But investigators believe animals including goshawks, badgers, buzzards and an otter represented […]
New chicks raise hope for hen harrier survival … but shooters take aim
A row has broken out between conservation groups over the wellbeing of one of Britain’s most critically endangered birds of prey: the hen harrier. The dispute reveals a basic divide between experts on how to save the birds from eradication in Britain. Natural England announces on Sunday that 2019 has been a record year for […]
Charity calls for total ban on tethering birds of prey
Zoos around the country are routinely only allowing birds of prey to fly for a few minutes a day and keeping them in cages smaller than their wingspans, an investigation has found. A report by the anti-captivity charity Freedom for Animals, seen by the Guardian, details wild birds such as owls and falcons being tied […]
Petition: Demand Harsher Penalties for Wildlife Abusers
A man in Tubbut, Australia is guilty of killing over 406 eagles over the course of two years. He would do this by injecting poison into the necks of sheep and leaving their bodies on the property where he worked. This, of course, led to eagles and other birds feeding on their carcasses and dying. […]
How can we REALLY prevent birds from flying into our windows?
Nothing is more heart-breaking than hearing that familiar dull thud, and running to find a dusty, bird-shaped imprint on your window. Sometimes, the bird is only stunned, and will live to fly another day. But sometimes, it will not. You may only have encountered this once or twice in your life, but with billions of […]
Over half the world’s raptors have declining populations
Why is it important to focus on the status of raptors in particular? From ghostly owls to majestic birds of prey, raptors are among the most iconic birds, but they are also highly threatened, with many of the larger species requiring large tracts of intact forest, and others persecuted because of their supposed impacts on […]
