lllegal killing is major cause of death in Hen Harriers

lllegal killing is major cause of death in Hen Harriers - RSPB

New study published in an important scientific journal shows yearly survival rates of Hen Harriers are ‘unusually low’ with birds typically living just four months after fledging the nest.
Illegal killing is the main cause of death for older birds, accounting for up 75% of yearly deaths in birds between one and two years old and is also a major cause of death in birds under one year.
Mortality due to illegal killing was highest in areas managed for Red Grouse shooting, highlighting the significant role that persecution on some grouse moors plays in limiting Hen Harrier populations in the UK.

Illegal killing is the main cause of death in Hen Harriers over one year of age and a major cause of deaths in birds under one year according to a new paper, published in the journal Biological Conservation, and led by the RSPB. Using data from the largest GPS tracking programme for Hen Harriers globally, the authors discovered that individuals tracked by the project were typically living just 121 days after fledging. The risk of dying as a result of illegal killing increased significantly as Hen Harriers spent more time on areas managed for grouse shooting.

Hen Harriers are on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK, meaning they are one of the most at-risk species here. Despite all birds of prey being protected by law since the 1950s and more recently under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, illegal persecution is still known to be a serious issue.

In 2011 the UK Government published the authoritative Conservation Framework for Hen Harriers which identified illegal killing of this species as the primary cause stopping population recovery. A 2019 UK Government study using tracking data from Hen Harriers in northern England and southern Scotland also found illegal killing to be the main factor limiting the recovery of the UK Hen Harrier population.

Scotland is the species’ UK stronghold with about 70-80% of the UK breeding population of Hen Harriers here, mostly found in Orkney and the Hebrides. However, the estimated 460 breeding pairs by the 2016 national survey is just a third of the estimated population size of 1500 breeding pairs that habitat in Scotland could support, according to the 2011 UK Government report.