Callous thugs are believed to have shot and killed a hen harrier.

The protected bird, called Rowan, was part of a conservation initiative being run at the Langholm Project. It is a joint scheme between Natural England and the Hawk and Owl Trust.

Rowan had been satellite tagged and had recently been recorded flying in the Cumbria and North Yorkshire Dales area, before being found dead at Ravenstonedale on October 22.

A Cumbria Police spokesman said: "A post-mortem examination, funded by Natural England and carried out by the Zoological Society of London, has established that the bird was likely to have been shot."

Hen Harriers are specially protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and the Government has set raptor persecution as one of their wildlife crime action priorities.

The spokesman continued: "There is huge pressure on the survival of the hen harrier in England particularly and projects such as this are working hard to assist with the bird’s survival.

"Cumbria Police are working alongside such organisations to progress this investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to call Cumbria Police on 101 and speak to PC 2059 Helen Branthwaite.