Skylarks, starlings and mistle thrushes: Endangered songbirds licensed to be killed for sport in UK Skylarks, starlings and mistle thrushes are among the red-listed species approved to be hunted by falconers. Should endangered wild birds be hunted for sport? It sounds like an odd question to be asking in 2023, in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. Yet, at a time when many avian species in the UK are under threat of regional extinction, government data reveals falconers are permitted to hunt rare songbirds. The data, released this week by government watchdog Natural England, has caused concern among environmentalists. What is falconry and how is it regulated in the UK? Falconry involves hunting wild animals in their natural habitat using a trained bird of prey. There are reportedly around 25,000 falconers in the UK. The sport itself dates back hundreds of years, and it has seen a resurgence in recent times. While it remains legal throughout Britain, many outside the hobby are unaware that captive falcons are used to hunt native wild birds - including some endangered species. So there was widespread criticism when it emerged that Natural England has been issuing licences to hunt red-listed songbirds - those of high conservation concern - for sport. An application form on the government’s website asks the falconer to select a number of ‘quarry’ species they wish to kill. Among the 25 species on the list of quarry birds are 11 amber-listed and seven red-listed examples. The licences themselves are free of charge and the approval process is at the discretion of Natural England’s staff. Natural England is a non-departmental public body, technically making it independent of the government. It is sponsored by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and issues licences on behalf of the government. With Natural England’s stated aim being “to help conserve, enhance and manage the natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development,” news of the falconry licences has angered British bird lovers. What is the red list of threatened species? The IUCN Red List is an internationally accepted system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. Global and national lists are compiled to identify species in decline. In the UK, the red list of birds is longer than ever before due to human incursion and habitat destruction. It now contains 70 species, nine of which are threatened with global extinction. Species whose conservation status is of moderate concern are placed on the amber list. Which endangered birds are permitted to be killed for sport in England? The UK government’s latest licence statistics, which now include the falconry licence data for the first time, reveal that permission is regularly granted to kill several endangered species. These include skylark, fieldfare and mistle thrush, permitting these otherwise heavily protected birds to be legally hunted. Other red-list birds permitted to be killed in falconry include dunnocks, house sparrows, lapwings, rooks, song thrushes and starlings.