Protected bird of prey shot dead in Forest of Dean

A protected bird of prey has been shot and killed in the Forest of Dean. The bird, a Goshawk, was found dead near Kempley on Tuesday, February 27, Gloucestershire Police has said.

An x-ray taken of the bird, which had been ringed, showed an air rifle pellet had broken its hip, causing its death. Gloucestershire Police has said it is a crime to intentionally kill or injure any goshawk.

Goshawks are a protected species of bird and only a few hundred are estimated to still exist in the UK, according to the Woodland Trust. Woodland habitat loss and persecution meant that, by the end of the 19th century, they were nearly extinct as a breeding bird. The species has made a recovery since repopulation efforts in the 1960s.