The birds of prey include tagged red kites A public protest has been held in Inverness following the deaths of 19 birds of prey in Ross-shire.Tests have confirmed 12 of the 19 birds were poisoned.
Scores of people marched to the city of Inverness over the deaths of 14 red kits and five buzzards. The birds have been found near Conon Bridge since 18 March.
Nineteen white cut-outs of birds dubbed "ghost raptors" were displayed during the event.
Police Scotland, RSPB Scotland, Scottish SPCA and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have been involved in investigating the deaths.
Members of the landowners organisation, Scottish Land & Estates, and NFU Scotland have contributed £12,000 towards a reward for information leading to the prosecution of whoever is responsible for the poisonings.
Five buzzards are among the 19 dead raptors Many of the red kites were tagged when they were chicks as part of a conservation project. They include a 16-year-old female kite tagged in 1998.
On Friday, SNH chairman Ian Ross has described the deaths as "shocking, grim and distressing".
The killings threatened Scotland's appeal as a wildlife tourism destination, he added.
Nature-based tourism is said to be worth £1.4bn a year to the Scottish economy.
