Prosecutors on Crete are investing the shooting dead of a male golden eagle, a protected species, following the discovery of the dead bird by members of the Hellenic Ornithological Society.

The killing of the bird is the fourth known such incident in involving protected birds of prey in Crete in recent weeks.

The dead eagle, called Lambros, was located on October 6 between Kapetaniana and Loukia in the Irakleio regional unit.

The protected bird was born about a year and a half ago and had been fitted with a satellite transmitter to monitor its movements.

Photo of a Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, which is the most common large eagle in Greece. It can be found on rocky mountainous and open landscapes with sparse vegetation, far from humans. The Golden Eagle flies for hours until spotting its prey, where it swoops down for the kill at high velocities. It feeds on a big variety of mammals and birds depending on the season, but mainly it hunts hares, partridges and turtles, which it drops from a great height on rocks in order to break their shell.
Photo taken by: Trikali, M.

An autopsy found he had been shot in the air from a relatively close distance.

Two rings that had been placed on the bird for scientific purposes had also been removed, possibly as a trophy by the person who shot it.

Forestry officials and police are participating in the investigation.

Source: AMNA