Rare bird of prey ‘on brink of extinction’

The charity claims that the hen harrier may disappear as a breeding bird, with only one pair showing signs of nesting in England.

Experts said that if the situation continues it will be the worst year for hen harriers since they recolonised England following extinction in the late 19th century.

Worryingly, no birds are attempting to nest in the Bowland Fells, Lancashire – the bird’s only stronghold in England in recent decades.

RSPB conservation director Martin Harper said: “The hen harrier is noted for its wonderful rollercoaster display flight, but this bird’s population in England is also on an extreme rollercoaster ride itself.

“After recolonising England, the bird is now perilously close to being wiped out again as a result of decades of persecution.”

Government-commissioned, independent research has shown that the English uplands could support more than 300 pairs of hen harriers. The authors conclude that persecution associated with driven grouse shooting is to blame for the species’ plight.

The RSPB’s Dr Andre Farrar monitored hen harriers in the 1980s. He said: “I had no idea that 2012 would be so bleak for hen harriers. When I started, the harriers were just establishing themselves in England after Victorian intolerance and extermination. There are just too few of them in the English uplands.”

The Government has, via the England Biodiversity Strategy, committed itself to preventing human-induced extinctions of threatened species by 2020.