Four golden eagles were illegally killed. Photo: Maurice Koope CC-BY-ND-2.0

The poisoning of four golden eagles could be just the tip of the iceberg, a conservation charity said.

The record number of deaths of Britain’s most iconic bird of prey heads a list of shame that includes 29 illegally poisoned raptors in one year, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland.

The charity said persecution of birds of prey in Scotland remains at high levels and poses a serious risk to the long-term populations of some of Scotland’s most vulnerable species.

The tally of four dead golden eagles is the most since RSPB Scotland started keeping records 18 years ago. Other victims of illegal poisoning, confirmed by the Scottish Government, were 13 buzzards, seven red kites, two peregrine falcons and one white-tailed sea eagle.

Most incidents involving banned poisons took place in areas managed for driven grouse shooting, particularly in the eastern and central Highlands and the southern uplands of Scotland.

RSPB Scotland said 2010 also saw an increase in the confirmed use of highly toxic banned agricultural pesticides, such as Aldicarb and Carbofuran. Both chemicals have been previously linked with illegal poisoning cases involving birds of prey.

But a spokesperson warned: “As many of these crimes were discovered purely by chance, by walkers or birdwatchers, in remote areas of countryside, it’s likely that these figures represent the tip of the iceberg.

“Recent studies published in scientific journals investigating the populations of golden eagle, hen harrier and red kite indicate that this is indeed the case.”

Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland said: “The criminal practice of illegally killing birds of prey remains a most serious conservation issue.

“Following welcome new measures to tackle this crime, we are working hard with the authorities and responsible land managers to see how we can use both intelligence and scientific information to better target enforcement against the perpetrators.

“We look forward to this yielding the visible results of an increase in the population and range of vulnerable species such as hen harrier, red kite, golden eagle and white-tailed eagle.”

Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland’s head of species and land management, added: “We thank the public for their continued vigilance and encourage any suspected crimes to be reported quickly to the police and RSPB Scotland.

“Such reports were pivotal in finding illegally killed birds, sadly including four poisoned golden eagles, in 2010. Everybody can play a part in supporting efforts to bear down on these crimes in our countryside, which are so detrimental to some of Scotland’s tourism and other rural industries.”