A Portsmouth man was sentenced to six months of federal probation this week for shooting hawks on and around his property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Robert J. Ferreira, 65, admitted to using his air rifle to injure three red-tailed hawks and a Cooper’s hawk between October 2018 and March 2019. He pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts of hunting, taking, killing or attempting to take or kill migratory birds, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton and Christine D. Lowell.
Between October 2018 and April 2021, eight injured or dead hawks were recovered from the area around Ferreira’s property. Ammunition recovered from three of the birds matched an air rifle belonging to Ferreira, prosecutors said.
The red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, and other migratory birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to hunt, capture or kill them without authorization.
On Thursday, Ferreira was sentenced to six months of probation by Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
