Sparrowhawk shot dead at Ripon nature reserve

The bird was shot at Nosterfield Nature Reserve

An investigation has begun after a sparrowhawk was shot and killed at a North Yorkshire nature reserve.

North Yorkshire Police said the creature was was targeted with a pellet gun on either 20 or 21 March at Nosterfield Nature Reserve.

Sparrowhawk populations are classified as amber on the Birds of Conservation Concern list, meaning the species has experienced moderate decline in population.

Anyone who saw someone in the area of the nature reserve with an air rifle or similar weapon on the dates in question is asked to contact police.

The death of the sparrowhawk follows other raptor killings in North Yorkshire in the preceding 12 months.

These include three red kites being shot near Westerdale and a buzzard being killed in Rosedale, both in the North York Moors National Park.

The latest Bird Crime report from the RSPB also found around 38 hen harriers - a red-listed species - had gone missing or been killed in the north of England, with eight satellite-tagged birds being persecuted or disappearing in one area near Birkdale in North Yorkshire.

The penalty for intentionally killing or harming a sparrow hawk is an unlimited fine and/or up to six months in jail.