Open consultation

Improving protection for huntable wild birds

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
23 March 2026

Summary

Seeking views on proposed legislative changes to better protect certain species of wild birds in the UK.

This consultation is being held on another website.

This consultation closes at

Consultation description

View this consultation in Welsh

We want to know what you think about proposed legislative changes to reflect the conservation needs of some species of wild birds in the UK.

All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, but exemptions allow some species listed on a schedule of the Act to be shot for recreational and harvesting purposes. This mostly affects ducks, geese and waders. We want to ensure that the shooting of these wild birds is sustainable.

We’re proposing to:

  • remove some species from the schedule
  • extend the close season for some species
  • add woodpigeon to the schedule so it can have a close season during its breeding period

Updates to this page

Published 23 March 2026

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