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The road to recovery
The buzzard population has recovered spectacularly in the last 20 years
Most UK bird of prey populations have recovered significantly during the last century. Several factors have contributed to this improvement.
During the 20th Century, legal protection was introduced for all birds of prey: a significant development for their conservation. Landowners and conservationists directly protected some nests of the rarer species such as ospreys, to ensure they were not interfered with by egg-collectors.
Commercial forestry plantations also helped provide suitable habitat, relatively free from interference, for some open country species like the hen harrier before the tree canopy closed over after 15-25 years, making it unsuitable. The use of certain damaging pesticides and poisons, such as organochlorines, was also banned or restricted.
Reintroduction projects were needed to help species such as the red kite and white-tailed eagle recover. The red kite had been reduced to a tiny remnant population in Wales prior to the start of reintroduction projects, while the white-tailed eagle was returned having previously been driven to extinction in the UK.
Legal protection
In 1954, all birds of prey were given full legal protection (except for the sparrowhawk, which has only been protected since 1963). This protection has been strengthened by further legislation, notably the European Council Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, that is implemented in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.
Under this law, it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take a wild bird, its eggs or nest. All birds of prey in Northern Ireland and all but three of the most common in Britain (the buzzard, kestrel and sparrowhawk) are given additional protection, preventing the intentional or reckless disturbance of a bird of prey while it is nest building, at a nest containing eggs and young, or to disturb its dependent young.
The maximum penalty that can be imposed for an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act - in respect of a single bird, nest or egg - is a fine of up to £5,000, and/or six months' imprisonment.
There can be little doubt that strong, properly enforced legal protection will continue to be vital to the conservation of the UK's birds of prey.
Last modified: 21 May 2008