Hen Harrier Conservation and Grouse Moor Conflict

The hen harrier is one of the UK most persecuted birds of prey, driven to near-extinction in England by illegal killing on grouse shooting estates. Welfare and conservation concerns intersect.

Key Facts

Hen harriers should support a breeding population of around 300 pairs in England — fewer than 20 breed annually
Satellite tracking shows that harriers frequently disappear over grouse moors — strongly suggesting illegal killing
Driven grouse shooting requires suppression of predators including harriers to maintain artificially high grouse densities
A 2019 Natural England brood management trial was deeply controversial in the conservation community
Hen harriers are a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act — killing one carries up to 6 months in prison
The RSPB Hen Harrier LIFE project supports monitoring and advocacy for legal protection

Welfare Considerations

The persecution of hen harriers on grouse moors represents a systemic failure of wildlife law enforcement. Despite clear legal protection, the pattern of satellite-tagged harriers disappearing over managed moorland is statistically impossible to explain by natural causes alone. The welfare of individual birds killed by shooting, trapping, or poisoning is catastrophic — these are sentient animals experiencing violent deaths. The systemic welfare failure extends to the broader moorland ecosystem managed for grouse: predator control, mountain hare culling, and burning practices affect entire communities of wildlife.

What You Can Do

Support the RSPB Hen Harrier LIFE project and Raptor Persecution UK advocacy
Sign and share petitions calling for driven grouse shooting licensing
Write to your MP about enforcement failures on raptor persecution
Report suspected illegal raptor killing to the RSPB or police wildlife crime unit
Boycott grouse products and businesses associated with driven grouse shooting estates