Wildlife Crime Unit

Protecting Wild Birds

All British wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected in law, yet many crimes are committed against birds in London every year, while others are committed by people from London in other parts of the country. Typical crimes against birds include:

Illegal Persecution

Many birds are shot, poisoned or illegally trapped each year. Even such popular birds as swans and herons are often persecuted and become victims of cruelty.

Egg Collecting

The collecting of wild birds eggs has been illegal since 1954, and since 1982 it has been an offence even to possess the eggs of wild birds. However, some collectors persist in their activities, and some very large collections have been seized by police in recent years. Egg collectors target the rarest birds and can threaten the survival of some species. Although these birds may not live in London, some of the people who take their eggs do, and egg collectors from London have been convicted of offences that they have committed in other parts of Britain. Golden Eagle, Merlin and Black Throated Diver are among the rare species whose eggs have been seized in London.

Taking Birds from the Wild

In the London area many small songbirds, like Chaffinches and Goldfinches, are trapped illegally to supply the cage bird market. Wild finches from the London area have also been found being exported to some Mediterranean countries where some are kept as cage birds, while others are sold as food.

Some rare birds of prey like Peregrine Falcons and Goshawks also turn up in London, having been illegally taken from the wild in other parts of Britain. Birds like these have a high commercial value and are often taken to supply the falconry market. The keeping of birds like this is legal, provided that they have been bred in captivity, and in the case of some rarer species, the keeper must register the bird with the Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. It is an offence to be in possession of a wild bird.

Fighting Crimes Against Wild Birds

In recent years the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit has recovered many rare birds of prey which were taken from the wild illegally, and collections of wild birds eggs, as well as finch trapping equipment, and the Unit has dealt with many cases of birds being killed illegally.

Scientific advances have enabled the Wildlife Crime Unit to use increasingly sophisticated techniques in the detection of wildlife crime. In one case involving a large number of Peregrine Falcons taken from the wild illegally, we used DNA analysis of blood samples taken from the birds to disprove the keeper's claim that they had been bred in captivity. We have also used DNA to secure convictions in other cases involving wild birds of prey.

The Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit is working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and many local organisations within the London area to protect our wild birds.

How You Can Help to Protect Wild Birds

The RSPB is the largest organisation protecting birds in Britain, and its officers work closely with police wildlife officers in cases of crimes against birds. The RSPB has a number of local members groups in the London area, and publishes "Wild Birds and the Law", a more detailed guide to the laws protecting birds in Britain. For more information please contact:

RSPB
The Lodge
Sandy
Bedfordshire
SG19 2DL