Concerns have been raised over the future of one of Lancashire’s most protected birds after a record number have been killed or gone missing in suspicious circumstances.
The hen harrier is one of the rarest in the UK and is known for their acrobatic “sky dancing” courtship displays in the Forest of Bowland.
Categorised as red-listed in terms of conservation concern, they are considered to be at high risk of extinction because of low breeding population levels following historic declines as a result of human persecution.
Between 2020 and 2024, there were 102 incidents of killing or missing birds recorded, according to a report from the RSPB released on Thursday.
The majority of these incidents occurred on or near grouse moors in northern England, where grouse shooting takes place, it said.
They are now calling on the Government to introduce licensing of grouse shooting in England, as has happened in Scotland, to act as a meaningful deterrent to wildlife crime.
Dr James Robinson, the RSPB’s director of operations, said: “This species will not recover until the criminal activity stops, and for this to happen we need regulation of the grouse-shooting industry, specifically the introduction of a licensing system for shoots in England, so estates proven by the police and Natural England to be linked to raptor persecution would simply lose their licence to operate.”
Over the last 25 years, conservationists rolled out several initiatives to support the endangered species and the population increased between 2016 and 2023.
But 2023 became the worst recorded year for persecution, with 34 birds confirmed to have been killed or disappeared under suspicious circumstances, according to the RSPB.
There was a 43 per cent decline in the number of chicks fledging in 2024 when compared to 2023 figures, the report said.
The number of breeding females recorded in 2024 also dropped from 50 in 2023 to 34 in 2024 – a 32 per cent fall.
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The charity said the current UK population estimate represents a quarter of the potential population that their ideal habitat can support, and in England it is less – at about 10 per cent.
Despite being legally protected, multiple studies and reports have found that criminal activity is the main factor limiting the species’ recovery.
Within their report, the RSPB contains details of hen harriers being shot and one bird having its head pulled off whilst it was still alive.
However, there is yet to be a conviction for the offence due to most crimes taking place in remote areas where activity is hard to detect and the burden of proof is difficult to secure.
Adrian Blackmore, director of shooting for the Countryside Alliance said: “Just twelve years ago there were no successful nesting attempts by hen harriers in England, but there are now more nesting than at any point since they were lost as a breeding species around 200 years ago thanks to efforts of grouse moor managers.
"Grouse shooting is already heavily regulated and controlled, with extensive legislation in place that has an impact on almost every aspect of the activity and its associated moorland management.
"This has given the UK Government, devolved administrations, and government agencies considerable control, and any additional legislation must be proportionate and based on sound scientific evidence”.
Another recent study, which investigated the illegal killing of hen harriers in association with gamebird management, showed that the survival rates of the birds in the UK are “unusually low”, with birds living for an average of 121 days after leaving the nest.
Andrew Gilruth, chief executive of the Moorland Association, disputed the RSPB report, saying the data has been assembled without independent checks and that the allegations “poison perceptions of gamekeepers”.
An Environment Department spokesperson said: “Hen harriers are a rare and precious feature of our national landscapes.
“It’s why through our work with the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the Hen Harrier Taskforce is using innovative technology such as drones and specialist detection dogs to help tackle illegal persecution.”
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