Birds

All British birds, their nests and eggs (with certain exceptions) are protected under Section 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 as amended.  This makes it an offence to:

• intentionally kill, injure or take any wild bird
• intentionally damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built
• intentionally take or destroy the egg of any wild bird
• possess or control any live or dead wild bird or any part of, or anything derived from a wild bird, or an egg or any part of the same

Offences against Schedule 1 species carry special penalties if convicted.  Schedule 1 is, however, divided into two parts – birds included within part I are specially protected at all times; and those species listed in part II are protected by the same penalties but only within the close season (1 February – 31 August).

Schedule 1 species:

Avocet                                                             Harriers (all species)                      Savi’s warbler

Bee-eater                                                          Purple Heron                                Wood sandpiper

Bittern                                                              Hobby                                           Scaup

Litter bittern                                                     Hoopoe                                        Common scoter

Bluethroat                                                         Kingfisher                                    Velvet scoter

Brambling                                                         Red kite                                         Serin

Cirl bunting                                                       Merlin                                           Shorelark

Lapland bunting                                                Golden oriole                                 Red-backed shrike

Snow bunting                                                    Osprey                                           SpoonbilL

Honey buzzard                                                 Barn owl                                         Black-winged stilt

Chough                                                            Peregrine                                        Temminck’s stint

Corncrake                                                        Leach’s petrel                                 Bewick’s swan

Spotted crake                                                   Red-necked phalarope                     Whooper swan

Crossbills (all species)                                      Kentish plover                                 Whimbrel

Stone curlew                                                    Little ringed plover                         Woodlark

Divers (all species)                                          Common quail                                 Wryneck

Dotterel                                                          Black redstart            

Long-tailed duck                                              Redwing    

Golden eagle                                                    Scarlet rosefinch       

White-tailed eagle                                           Ruff          

Gyr falcon                                                      Green sandpiper       

Fieldfare                                                          Purple sandpiper       

Firecrest                                                          Black tern

Garganey                                                         Little tern

Black-tailed godwit                                          Roseate tern

Goshawk                                                          Bearded tit

Black-necked grebe                                         Crested tit

Slavonian grebe                                               Short-toed treecreeper

Greenshank                                                     Cetti’s warbler

Little Gull                                                       Dartford warbler

Mediterranean gull                                          Marsh warbler

Part II; protected by special penalties during the close season:

Goldeneye, Greylag goose (in Outer Hebrides, Caithness, Sutherland and Wester Ross only), Pintail

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