Study: Majority of bird of prey deaths in Ireland the result of poisoning

100 common buzzards died as a result of poisoning, shooting, and other unnatural causes in Ireland in the last 13 years.

Almost three-quarters of unnatural deaths of birds of prey in the last 13 years were the result of poisoning, a new study has found.

Some 294 incidents involving the unnatural deaths of birds of prey have been recorded in Ireland over the last 13 years - with 301 individual birds impacted.

The figure is contained in a review released by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).  

The NPWS says the majority of incidents (71.5%) related to poisonings.

Some of the incidents involved multiple issues (for example, some birds being shot and poisoned), and a number of incidents involved more than one bird dying as a result of poisoning. 

Incidents were recorded in every county in Ireland, and all regularly breeding native Irish predatory bird species were confirmed to have been included in the incident-total. 

The common buzzard was the bird most impacted over this period - with 100 incidents reported.

46 incidents involving the red kite were recorded, while 43 involved barn owls.

Of the other incidents recorded:

• 36 involved a peregrine falcon;
• 18 involved a white-tailed sea eagle;
• 17 involved a hen harrier;
• 16 involved a sparrowhawk;
• 11 involved a kestrel;
• Eight involved long-eared owl; 
• Two involved golden eagle; 
• One involved a merlin; 
• And one involved a short-eared owl

The deaths of 36 Peregrine Falcons were recorded in the NPWS report. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

Shootings accounted for 28% of the cases reported, while trapping and mutilation of a bird of prey occurred in 0.5% of the cases.

The NPWS also noted that there was some clustering of incidents, and time periods in which many of the cases took place - specifically, the illegal/misuse of poison in springtime, and the occurrence of shooting season in late/summer, autumn and winter.

57 of the incidents were the result of road-collision incidents and six were caused by wind-turbine strikes. 

Two involved fence collisions and one involved a bird colliding with an active powerline. 

Author and Co-ordinator of the report Dr Barry O’Donoghue said that the status of Irish birds of prey was important "indicators of the health of our ecosystems and countryside."

The authors hope their report will help inform future policy and educate the public, thus reducing the number of bird of prey deaths here.

Commenting on the review, Minister of State Malcolm Noonan said: “These incidents, particularly the deliberate persecution of our native birds are an abhorrence to us all and should be condemned. 

Mr Noonan said the poisoning of 23 buzzards in West Cork in earlier this year[/ur] was "an eye-opener" and that such that poisoning and persecution incidents were "happening annually."

"The intelligence gathered will serve very usefully to inform approaches to tackling these incidents, including by the new Wildlife Crime Unit that will be established within NPWS,” he added.