The RSPB has accused gamekeepers in the UK of “systematically wiping out” iconic species of birds of prey.

The charity is today launching a campaign to boost the numbers of birds such as golden eagles, hen harriers, buzzards and peregrine falcons.

They claim the birds are being illegally killed on grouse moors in the uplands of North of England and Scotland by gamekeepers anxious to protect their red grouse stock.

Shooting birds of prey is illegal in the UK. But evidence is difficult to gather from the huge, rolling estates, an RSPB spokesman said.

Dr Mark Avery, RSPB's Conservation Director, said: “It is outrageous that birds of prey are still being killed illegally and that these fantastic birds are destroyed before they can cast their shadows on some of our most beautiful wild places.

“The skies are owned by no one, but a callous few want to deprive the nation of some of our most charismatic wildlife.”

The killing will stop golden eagles recolonising southern Scotland and northern England, Dr Avery claimed.

The RSPB are most concerned about the hen harrier, the population of which is “severely restricted because of illegal persecution,” a charity spokesman said.

Only 14 pairs of hen harriers bred successfully in the UK last year, and the charity has set a challenge to increase this to at least 40 pairs by 2010. 800 pairs inhabit the UK, the bulk of them in Scotland.

A spokesman for the RSPB told TimesOnline: "In the Peak District we only had two pairs of birds nesting. Then the two male ones disappeared and we had to give supplementary food to the females.

"It's the same with Peregrine falcons. They've been eliminated from the Peak District. It's easier to see them in the middle of Manchester."

Mr Avery added: “Visitors to the Peak District National Park would rightly expect to see a diversity of birds of prey, but our initial evidence shows these birds are being targeted before the birds can establish themselves.

“This year we are calling on upland shooting estates to allow birds of prey to nest successfully.”

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the largest shooting association in the UK, said it “unequivocally condemned all persecution of birds of prey” and was working closely with the RSPB to look at solutions.

“Any member found guilty of killing them will be expelled,” a spokesman said. “We’re working to find practical solutions, like persuading gamekeepers to put food for the birds away from their young chicks. But ultimately you’ve got to convince people on the ground there are other ways of doing things than killing the birds.”

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