Red Kite found poisoned in Highlands

• The bird had consumed a banned pesticide which has a history of being used to kill birds of prey. 
• Red Kites are fully protected by law, and to kill or harm one could result in jail. 
• The illegal poisoning of birds of prey is a national issue and poses a potentially deadly danger to

A protected Red Kite endured an ‘agonising death’ after being killed by a banned pesticide, one quarter of a teaspoon of which is enough to kill a human. 

RSPB Scotland received a call in April 2024 from a dog walker who had found a red kite dead on the ground near to a popular woodland walking trail, adjacent to hill farm land at Spinningdale, near Dornoch in East Sutherland. 

RSPB Investigators notified Police Scotland, collected the bird and sent it for a post-mortem examination and toxicology analysis. The results were consistent with Carbofuran poisoning being the cause of the bird’s death, a pesticide banned for over 20 years.  

Police Scotland and partner agencies conducted a search of the area but found no evidence that enabled them to identify a suspect.  

It is a crime to kill or attempt to kill a bird of prey, and anyone caught doing so faces a fine or even jail.  

The latest Birdcrime report, released last month (23 October 2024) found there were 159 poisoning incidents involving birds of prey between 2009-2024 in Scotland. In recent years, Carbofuran has become the pesticide most frequently associated with bird of prey persecution. 

And of all UK counties, the Highland area had the second highest number of confirmed incidents of raptor persecution during the same 15-year period. 

“We are very grateful to the person that found this dead kite for reporting it to us. It is appalling that individuals are still using this poison, decades after it was banned, and this bird will have suffered an agonising and horrific death. Carbofuran is a highly toxic substance and is one of several banned pesticides still used by criminals targeting birds of prey or other protected wildlife. Its possession or use is illegal and placing it out in the open poses a potentially deadly and indiscriminate risk not only to wildlife but to people and pets. We ask anyone using the area to be vigilant if they find anything suspicious, don’t touch, but do take photos and report to Police Scotland immediately on 101.”  

If you notice a dead or injured bird of prey in suspicious circumstances, call Police Scotland on 101 and fill in the RSPB’s online reporting form: www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/wild-bird-crime-report-form  

If you have information about anyone killing birds of prey which you wish to report anonymously, call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.