Bird species covered by general licence

[Andy]

Bird species covered by the general licence in the UK

Species	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland
Canada Goose	Yes	No	No	No
Carrion Crow	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Collared Dove	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Feral Pigeon	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Great Black-backed Gull	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Herring Gull	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
House Sparrow	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Jackdaw	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Jay	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Magpie	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Rook	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ruddy Duck	Yes	No	No	No
Starling	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Woodpigeon	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Airgun Quarry
The following pests are considered suitable for controlling using a sub-12 ftlb Airgun.
BIRDS: (covered by the open general licences) crows, rooks, jackdaws, magpies, jays, wood pigeon, collared doves, and feral pigeons.
MAMMALS: brown rats, grey squirrels, stoats, mink and rabbits.

All the others on the list (General licence) are for shotguns and firearms only

.

[Ianhw77k]

No mention of pheasants there Maybe I was right

[steve410]

The following pests are considered suitable for controlling using a sub-12 ftlb Airgun.

Pheasants are a game bird, not classed as a pest.

[Poacher]

No mention of pheasants there Maybe I was right

As Steve points out this list only covers the pests or vermin mentioned on the General Licence. Shooting pheasants with an air rifle isn't as far as I am aware against any specific law. However, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is open to a fair bit of interpretation.

Let's face it; shooting pigeons and pheasants with shotguns doesn't always result in instant kills, and that is an acceptable (or legal) way of hunting. So as long as you can demonstrate that you are not causing unnecessary suffering you should be OK.

I personally believe that if you have permission to take them AND you do it in an efficient and humanitarian way then you would not be prosecuted.

[verminator]

When do parakeets make it on to the list?

[Poacher]

When do parakeets make it on to the list?

Ask Katy Price. She's had a cockatoo

[verminator]

Ask Katy Price. She's had a cockatoo

Just checked out the Natural England site, parakeets are in the general licenses starting January 2010.

It turns out that the list of bird species that can be killed in England differs depending on the reason:

Species	Prevent Damage/Disease	Preserve Flora/Fauna	Preserve Public Health/Safety
Crow	Y	Y	Y
Collared Dove	Y	N	Y
Lesser Black-billed Gull	Y	Y	Y
Jackdaw	Y	Y	Y
Jay	Y	Y	Y
Magpie	Y	Y	Y
Feral Pigeon	Y	Y	Y
Rook	Y	Y	Y
Woodpigeon	Y	N	Y
Canada Goose	Y	Y	Y
Egyptian Goose	N	Y	N
Monk Parakeet	Y	Y	Y
Ring-necked Parakeet	Y	Y	N
Ruddy Duck	N	Y	N

Preserve Flora/Fauna includes the preservation of other wild birds. If under the circumstances a kill is allowed, eggs and nests may be taken/destroyed only for the follwing species:

• Canada Goose
• Egyptian Goose
• Monk Parakeet
• Ring-necked Parakeet

It appears that it is no longer leagal to shoot the Herring Gull. It's eggs and nests may be taken/destroyed, but only to preserve public health/safety.

[cynic]

thanks for the update!

[Jack]

We're allowed to shoot canadian goose?! They're effing huge! I was once raped by one as a child! Time to get my on back....

[stealthmode14]

depending on the reason:

Hopefully one reason for taking them will be (when the little shites gather on a tree just outside your bedroom window and ruin your lie-in) if only

.