Police investigate Sparrowhawk illegally shot in Scottish Highlands
RSPB Scotland was alerted to the incident after the bird of prey was found dead on the ground by a member of the public on March 6 in the Cradlehall area of Inverness.
Police were also notified and officers from the force collected the bird's body and sent it for testing to establish the cause of death.
Following a post-mortem by a vet, a pellet was found lodged within the bird's chest, and it has been concluded that the Sparrowhawk had been shot with a shotgun.
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The report added that the bird could have died some distance from where it was shot, before later dying from an infection and starvation because of the shooting.
Police are appealing for anyone with any information in connection with this incident to come forward.
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland's head of investigations, said that the bird likely suffered a 'drawn-out' and painful death.
(Image: RSPB Scotland)
He said: 'Sparrowhawks are one of the birds of prey you or I are most likely to encounter, as they live alongside us in parks and gardens. They hunt small birds by stealth and can be identified by their brilliantly piercing yellow eyes.
'The presence of Sparrowhawks and other birds of prey is a good indicator of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. This bird was shot with a shotgun, resulting in a drawn-out and painful death.
'Few people have access to such weapons, with even fewer motivated to shoot at protected birds of prey. We ask that if anyone has information about this incident, to please get in touch with Police Scotland or ourselves.'
All wild birds are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and anyone found to have killed or injured a bird of prey faces an unlimited fine or even jail.
Thomas Plant, Bea Ayling and Shona Rüesch of the Inverness Urban Sparrowhawk Project have been studying the Sparrowhawk population in Inverness since 2020.
They added: 'We are absolutely devastated to hear that someone has shot one of these beautiful and majestic birds: one we may have been monitoring this year here in Inverness.
'As part of our voluntary monitoring we have been checking nest sites and colour-ringing Sparrowhawks (with support and funding from the Highland Raptor Study Group (HRSG)).
'We hope that this will help to improve understanding of the local Sparrowhawk population, their movements, lifespans and the threats that they face.'
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