Home › BBC       27.05.2026

Catching the people illegally killing Britain’s birds of prey | BBC News

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 records 921 confirmed attacks between 2015 and 2024, with more than half, according to the RSPB, on or near land managed for game shooting. Targeted species include eagles, red kites, peregrine falcons, hen harriers, goshawks and barn owls. The BBC's Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt was given special access inside the RSPB's bird crime investigations unit, where former police officers work alongside bird experts.

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