A BUZZARD which was found shot in Colchester earlier this month has unfortunately died as a result of its injuries.

The buzzard was found was found near Hardy’s Green and Heckford Bridge.

It was picked up by a member of the public and taken to Colchester Owl Rescue  to be cared for.

The buzzard had suffered a broken wing and sustained internal injuries.

An X-ray later revealed that the bird was found to have been shot with a spread usually used for larger birds of prey.

The buzzard underwent surgery on its broken wing last week, however, it died over the weekend, due to the injuries it sustained.

In a statement released on their Facebook page, Colchester Owl Rescue said: "The buzzard that had a broken wing and was shot has sadly passed away at the weekend after a long 16 days of care."

In a separate statement, Katrina Myers, who has been running the Owl Rescue for 23 years, said: "The buzzard had suffered some serious internal problems, on day 7 he had started to react more normally, but this was very short-lived.

"He still wouldn't feed himself and stopped casting pellets.

"It was very sad at the weekend to find he had passed away, after 16 days of care."

Speaking to the Gazette, Katrina previously stated:“The bird is still injured, it’s still not feeding. Normally they are quick to feed during their recovery. It is too early to tell if there are other issues.

“We are currently not sure if the shot caused the broken wing or if it was done by road accident.”

The Essex Police Rural and Wildlife team is currently monitoring the situation, as the investigation into the shooting of the buzzard is currently ongoing.

Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact Essex Police on telephone, via their 101 non-emergency number and quote the incident reference number 42/13298/23.