A petition, started by a concerned birdwatcher and signed by more than 23,000 people, has been handed to the Scottish Parliament.

It calls for the Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse to ensure no licenses are issued in Scotland that would allow the culling of buzzards to protect game interests.

It follows revelations that Natural England, the country's nature conservation agency, allowed the secret destruction of buzzard eggs and nests to protect a pheasant shoot.

Lewis Davies, of Rosyth, started a petition which, in just a fortnight, has attracted the support of tens of thousands of like-minded individuals.

Mr Davies, accompanied by representatives from RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Ornithologists Club, said: "I have always loved wildlife. It's a passion that I share with my young family and it is for their sake I felt the need to stand up and do something. I was disgusted when I read about what had happened down south."