POLICE have appealed for information about a hen harrier found with “unexplained injuries” on a Scottish estate.

The protected bird was found dead on the Cowal Peninsula, near Dunoon in Argyll and Bute.

Named Kathy, the young raptor had been satellite tagged as a chick as part of the RSPB’s EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE+ project.

She fledged in late August and remained in the vicinity of the nest she hatched in for the next month.

The wildlife charity continued monitoring her tracking device and staff became concerned when data suggested she hadn’t moved on October 3.

A search was carried out two days later, when the bird’s body was found.

Post-mortem results have since revealed “unexplained injuries” which police believe may be the result of criminal action.

Yesterday, Donald Mackay of Police Scotland said: “Although this would be an isolated incident in my area, it is concerning that a raptor may have been deliberately killed in Argyll.

“Hen harriers are a particularly fragile bird of prey in terms of their numbers in the UK, and Police Scotland will work with its partners to thoroughly investigate this incident and robustly deal with any person who may have been involved.”

Breeding pairs of hen harriers have fallen by almost 30 per cent in Scotland to 460 since 2004.

Will Hayward, investigations officer for RSPB Scotland, said: “If criminal cause of death is confirmed, this incident will sadly be another statistic to add to a catalogue of hen harriers that meet their end in this way.

“Only through the use of satellite technology are we finally getting an accurate picture of the true scale of a human persecution problem that has been denied by some parties for decades.”