The true scale of bird crime across the UK has been highlighted in the 2013 Birdcrime report published by the RSPB on October 30.
There were 164 reports of shooting and destruction of birds of prey. This included the confirmed shooting of two hen harriers, two marsh harriers, five peregrines and 28 buzzards, and 74 reported incidents of wildlife poisoning and pesticide-related offences.
Confirmed victims of poisoning include 30 buzzards, 20 red kites, a golden eagle and a white-tailed eagle.
There were also 14 cases of nests being robbed, including a case that involved the robbery of at least 50 little tern nests, and 29 reports of illegal taking, possession or sale of birds of prey.
More than half of these incidents (54 percent) were reported to have occurred in England, with 27 percent taking place in Scotland, 10 percent in Wales and 8percent in Northern Ireland. Two percent of the cases occurred in an unknown location in the UK
Unbelievably this could also just be the tip of the iceberg as these figures are believed to represent only a fraction of the illegal persecution in the UK, with many incidents thought to be going undetected and unreported.
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