RJ Hamster
The Government Is Deciding Which Birds Can Be Shot…
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The Government Is Deciding Which Birds Can Be Shot And You’re Supposed to Stay Quiet
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Defra (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) has just released details of a consultation titled “Protecting wild birds: Consultation on Amending the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which allows certain species of wild birds to be killed or taken outside of their close seasons”. The consultation will assess all wild bird species listed on Schedule 2.1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Schedule 2.1 is the part of the Act which sets out which species “can be legally killed or taken outside the close season” – ie shot for ‘sport’.
The consultation aims to identify those species listed under Schedule 2.1 that “are potential candidates for a change in status with respect to the schedule”. In other words, those species which should be given better protection under a law that – in theory – should already protect them!
- The consultation opened on 23 March 2026 and runs until 17 May 2026.
Why is the consultation taking place?
On a page headed Background, Defra explains that the consultation has arisen from a previous review carried out in 2023 in England by Defra and Natural England (NE), and similar reviews carried out by NatureScot and Natural Resources Wales in Scotland and Wales.
“This review was carried out to ensure that shooting certain species of wild birds is sustainable and does not undermine their recovery. This was in line with the Secretary of State’s species abundance target to improve the status of threatened species in England by 2042 and to halt species decline by 2030; the Scottish government’s targets to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and restore and regenerate biodiversity by 2045; and Wales’ objectives as stated in the Nature Recovery Action Plan (NRAP), since several of the species on Schedule 2.1 are experiencing declining populations and appear on conservation priority listings.”
Northern Pintail. Photo by Daniil Komov on Unsplash
Which species are involved?
Nine species are included in the consultation: one goose, three ducks, three shorebirds (or waders), Wood Pigeon, and Coot.
A table outlining the proposed changes is published on a page titled Overview.
Not everyone will be familiar with all of the species, of course, but all have declining populations – though Defra has noted that Wood Pigeons, though not rare are being shot under a General Licence ‘for fun’ rather than for reasons tied to the licence.
We have looked in more detail at these species on our End Bird Shooting substack.
Grey Partridge. Photo by Lukáš Kadava on Unsplash
Defra states that some species that many of us would like to see better protected are covered by other legislation, so are not part of the consultation. This includes Grey Partridge, a native species now Red-listed as a Bird of Conservation Concern in the UK due to steep population decline linked to agricultural intensification, but covered by the Game Act, meaning their ‘protection’ is not under consideration.
Proposed changes
As the table above shows, there are some welcome changes being proposed, but they don’t go far enough in our opinion.
In their press release (which includes the dread phrase “recreational shooting of European White-fronted Goose”) Defra says
“The new rules would restrict the shooting of species including the iconic woodcock, and distinctive pintail, goldeneye and pochard ducks – to ensure they have far greater protection. These species are all classed as under threat and have seen their populations fall sharply in recent years, with some native population numbers now numbering in the hundreds. The proposals include fully prohibiting the recreational shooting of the European white-fronted goose.”
That’s good news for White-fronts, which should never have been put on quarry lists in the first place, but what does shifting the start of the shooting ‘seasons’ actually do?
It’s more important to realise what it doesn’t do:
- Extending close seasons doesn’t stop birds being killed, just delays when they are shot.
- There is no extra limit on the number that can be killed
- And no limit to how often shooters can go out during the ‘shorter’ season.
Common Snipe. Photo by Julian on Unsplash
Killing snipe
One of the more ridiculous changes proposed is to the ‘season’ when Common Snipe can be killed. The consultation suggests that the season will be changed for animal welfare reasons. That sounds great, but read Defra’spress release:
“The UK and Scottish governments are considering extending the close season for the common snipe on the grounds of animal welfare, meaning the species can no longer be shot in the breeding season so their chicks are no longer left motherless during this critical period.”
It is unlawful to intentionally damage the nests or eggs of any wild bird, but shooters can still kill Common Snipe in August when birds – especially in Scotland where colder northern temperatures and higher altitudes can delay the start of the nesting season compared to warmer lowland areas in the south – may still be breeding. How utterly ridiculous is that…
Open to all of us even if Defra doesn’t appear to think so…
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding the natural environment, supporting the food and farming industry, and sustaining the rural economy. For many of us, though, it is a department that again and again prioritises the so-called ‘rural economy’ over protecting the natural environment.
To prove the point, under ‘Why your views matter’, Defra states:
“These changes would directly affect anybody who participates in the shooting of any of the species listed above.”
No, Defra, apart from directly affecting the birds that are shot these changes would also directly affect the millions of us who loathe seeing shooters blasting birds out of the air for ‘sport’.
Millions of us love and value birds, and are appalled that shooting is ‘protected’ by government after government, and that the lives of millions of birds are seen purely in terms of income generation and ‘tourism’.
Filling in the consultation
The consultation runs until 17 May and is open to everyone.
It is 25 pages long and has multiple-choice questions on most of those pages. Pages 20-23 ask about providing Welsh language options and submitting your responses. It takes about 30 minutes to complete.
There are examples (the Woodcock is one) where the choice is extending the close season or leaving it as now, with no option to ban shooting altogether.
A question on Page 26 (“6.2. Should other amendments (for example an extension or shortening of a close season be made with regard to any other species listed on Schedule 2.1 in England, Scotland or Wales?”) does allow for comment, though.
Our thoughts
Clearly, the way to give ‘iconic’ birds proper protection is to stop shooting them full stop.
There is zero reason to shoot these birds, other than some people with guns ‘enjoy’ it. That’s not a reason to allow them to kill wild birds – whether they are ‘iconic’ Woodcocks, ‘distinctive’ Pintails, or ‘ordinary’ Coots.
Shooters will almost certainly be lining up to keep the seasons open for as long as possible. So if you have time, please do have a look at the consultation.
- The consultation doesn’t give us the opportunity to ban the shooting of these wonderful birds, but it would be a missed opportunity if the ‘men with guns’ were the only people to respond.
