harrier

More than 1,300 protected birds of prey – from hen harriers to golden eagles - have been killed across the UK over the past 15 years, according to the RSPB.

The findings bolster the idea that humans evolved to be hunting harriers, says Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University.

The charity said eight, satellite-tagged hen harriers had been illegally killed or suspiciously disappeared from the Yorkshire Dales in the last year.

It has 20% of the UK's hen harriers, 11% of its breeding seabirds and vital populations of curlew, lapwing, and oystercatcher.

More vegetation along the wetlands means better nesting for mallards, northern harrier hawks and other species.