Wild birds are being targeted in a rising tide of violence and cruelty across the UK.
The RSPCA has recorded its highest number of summer cruelty reports involving wild birds in five years, with weapons such as airguns, catapults, and slingshots commonly used in the attacks.
Recent figures from the charity show that 359 incidents involving wild birds were reported during July and August 2025—almost double the 179 reports during the same period in 2024.
Mike Scargill, wildlife partnerships manager at the RSPCA, said: "We are deeply concerned by the number of reports involving deliberate cruelty towards wild birds.
"Day after day, our frontline officers and animal centres see the sickening consequences of weapons being used on animals—causing awful suffering, severe injuries and often leading to death.
"These figures are likely to represent only a fraction of the true scale of the problem because a lot of cruelty goes unseen and unreported.
"This is why we need our supporters to back our Cruelty Hurts Love Rescue campaign so we can tackle this horrific trend."
Wild birds are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
It is illegal to deliberately injure, kill, or take one without a licence, and anyone found guilty could face up to six months in prison and an unlimited fine.
The RSPCA has already received 474 reports of cruelty towards wild birds so far in 2026, more than half the total number recorded in all of 2025 - a total of 876.
Many of the victims in last year’s reports were pigeons, crows, magpies, ravens, gulls, swans, and ducks.
The charity says there is no single explanation for the rise in animal cruelty but suggests several contributing factors, including the misuse of weapons, copycat behaviour, harmful online content, and a lack of understanding around animal welfare.
Although most people do not intentionally harm animals, the RSPCA stresses the importance of early intervention.
Mr Scargill said: "Wild birds feel pain, fear and distress, and deserve our care and respect.
"Deliberately harming them causes immense suffering and can have devastating consequences for both individual animals and local wildlife populations."
The surge in violence is not just a national concern—the trend has also been seen in Barrow.
On June 7, Cumbria Police received a report of alleged bird cruelty at Barrow Park.
In the same month, a swan was shot and killed with an air rifle at Cavendish Dock.
Last year, a local animal rescue group took in three wood pigeons with gunshot wounds, two of which later died.
The RSPCA is tackling the issue through partnership work with police and conservation organisations under initiatives such as Operation Lakeshot.
This scheme is designed to address the illegal use of catapults and other offences against wildlife.
The charity is urging members of the public who witness deliberate cruelty towards wildlife to contact them directly.
Adults concerned about the behaviour of a young person towards animals are also encouraged to use the RSPCA’s early intervention referral service, which offers support to address worrying actions before they escalate.
The charity’s current campaign, Cruelty Hurts Love Rescues, aims to highlight the pressures faced by its frontline teams during the summer when reports of animal cruelty typically reach their highest levels.
