Illegal shooting of protected nongame birds along power lines coincides with places and times of peak legal recreational shooting

Illegal killing of protected nongame birds is pervasive and can be demographically relevant.
In 2021 and 2022, we evaluated spatial and temporal patterns in illegal killing of birds along
69.7 km of power lines in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National
Conservation Area in Idaho, USA, to provide insight into potential drivers behind the activity
and key information to manage this threat across the American west. The illegal shooting of 8
species of raptors and corvids we documented was clumped both temporally and spatially, as
opposed to being randomly distributed across the year and landscape. We found 72 illegally
shot birds, most killed during spring months (March to May), coincident with peak time
periods of legal recreational shooting activity, and in places with high levels of recreational
shooting. We also found evidence of targeted killing of raptors in the conservation area in
areas not associated with recreational shooting. Given the numbers of nesting pairs of some
local raptor species, this shooting is likely demographically relevant for some but not all local
populations. Likewise, with the prevalence of recreational shooting across the American
west, the inference we draw is broadly relevant beyond our Idaho study area. The insight our
work provides can enable owners of power lines, law enforcement agencies, and resource
managers to coordinate in outreach, regulatory, and law enforcement action to manage a
threat that may have widespread impacts for some avian species.