Hen harrier disappearance 'suspicious'

A rare bird has disappeared in "suspicious circumstances", the RSPB said.

The young female hen harrier was fitted with a satellite tag which last showed she was roosting on a grouse moor near Hamsterley Forest in County Durham.

Daily transmissions from this ceased after 15 January and a search of the area by Durham Police found no sign of either the bird or the tag.

The tag should continue transmitting after death so the fact it cannot be found "strongly suggests human interference", the RSPB said.

Hen harriers are rare breeding birds and protected by law.

The missing female, hatched in Scotland in 2024 and named Red by local schoolchildren, was fitted with the tag as part of an RSPB programme to gather more information on a "rare and persecuted species".

After fledging, Red flew to England and spent the winter in the North Pennines.

Howard Jones, senior investigations officer for the RSPB, said: "The disappearance of Red is a huge blow for a struggling species where every bird counts.

"Should a tagged bird die, its tag would continue transmitting, allowing us to recover the body.

"This was not the case, which strongly suggests human interference."

The charity and Durham Police have appealed for information.

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