Police have revealed that three birds of prey in the Highlands and Islands have starved to death over the winter.
Four raptor carcasses found in recent weeks have been reported to police, and have been examined by specialist vets.
These include a buzzard and barn owl found in Ross-shire, another buzzard found in the Strathspey area and a golden eagle found on Barra.
Tests reveals that all of the deaths were related to natural causes.
Both of the buzzards and the owl appear to have starved over the course of the winter.
Officers are continuing to encourage the reporting of deaths of birds of prey following the non-suspicious incidents.
Inspector Mike Middlehurst said: “I would like to thank the people who reported these incidents for their continued awareness in bringing this to our attention.
“While there has not proved to be anything suspicious about any of these deaths, we’re grateful for the information.
“This is useful for Police Scotland and a wide variety of partners.
“We would continue to encourage anyone who finds the remains of a bird of prey and has concerns about it to contact us so the circumstances can be assessed.”
Franz Brulisauer, Senior Veterinary Investigations Officer for Scotland’s Rural College said: “Understanding wild bird deaths is helpful in establishing the full picture of the activities of birds of prey as well as monitoring the wild bird population for avian influenza and residues of pesticides which originate from contamination in the environment.”
If you have any concerns, contact Police Scotland on 101.
