Hen harriers remain functionally absent from English grouse moors despite legal protection, with illegal killing preventing recovery of a species that should number in the hundreds of breeding pairs.
Hen harriers killed illegally on grouse moors are typically shot, poisoned, or trapped and killed. Poisoned individuals die from carbofuran toxicity in the same prolonged manner as other raptors. Birds illegally removed from nest sites leave chicks to die of starvation. The systematic nature of the persecution — confirmed by satellite tracking data showing tagged birds disappearing in clusters over specific estates — indicates organized wildlife crime rather than individual incidents. The welfare harm is real and preventable through enforcement and land management reform.