Bird watchers and hillwalkers are being asked to keep an
eye out for hen harriers in an attempt to conserve their numbers.
The birds of prey are struggling to breed in some areas,
partly due to persecution and disappearing moorland.
In 2010 there were 500 pairs in Scotland ,
the bulk of the UK
The sighting initiative is being launched by the
Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (Paw) Scotland
Hen harrier fact file
The male is grey above, white below, with black wing tips.
The female is much larger, and brown, with white streaks
below.
The male performs the sky-dancing display to entice a
female to mate with him.
Members of the public have been encouraged to record where
they spot any hen harriers, along with details including behaviour and gender.
The male hen harrier is famous for its spectacular looping
"sky-dance", part of an elaborate mating ritual.
The aim is to help Paw Scotland
Factors in their decline include the loss of moorland
nesting habitat and feeding range, eggs and young being eaten by foxes, crows
and other predators, and illegal persecution.
The spotting scheme was launched by environment minister
and Paw Scotland
He said: "The hen harrier is one of Scotland
He added: "Unfortunately these birds are not thriving
in some parts of Scotland
"This initiative will raise the profile of the hen
harrier to provide us with important information about their activity and
location, and I hope people across Scotland
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