Portsmouth Man Sentenced For Shooting, Killing Federally Protected Hawks

PORTSMOUTH, RI — A Portsmouth man was sentenced Thursday to six months of federal probation after he admitted he shot protected hawk species on and around his property.

Robert Ferreira, 65, pleaded guilty to four counts of hunting, taking, killing, or attempting to take or kill migratory birds. Shooting the red-tailed and Cooper hawks violated the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Federal prosecutors said that between October 2018 and April 2021, eight injured or dead hawks were found around Ferreira's property. Ammunition recovered from three of the hawks matched an air rifle belonging to Ferreira.

On Thursday, Ferreira admitted to a federal judge he used his air rifle to shoot three red-tailed hawks and a Cooper hawk. Prosecutors said Ferreira also told a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent he estimates he shot at 50-to-80 hawks, believing they were a threat to squirrels that visited squirrel feeders on his property.

The U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects certain migratory birds, including the red-tailed hawk and Cooper hawk, and forbids hunting, capturing, or killing these birds unless authorized by permit. Hunting, taking, killing, or attempting to kill migratory birds is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison and fine of up to $15,000.