Detectives are investigating the death of a rare protected eagle just months after two others were found poisoned at the same national park in Co Kerry.
It is believed the same person may be responsible for the deaths of the three white-tailed eagles - also known as sea eagles - at Killarney National Park in Co Kerry.
Gardaí are investigating after receiving a complaint from the head park ranger in Killarney about the alleged poisoning of a white-tailed eagle.
The investigation into the deaths of the other two rare birds of prey, which were released into the wild last August, has yet to turn up anything.
Concentrations of the poisons alphachlorolose and nitoxinil, the same lethal chemicals found in the two sea eagles killed earlier in the year, were found in the dead bird.
The latest sea eagle was found dead late on May 27th, around one kilometre from where two others died at the nature reserve in February.
The white-tailed eagle chicks from Norway were all fitted with small radio transmitters when they were set free in the national park as part of a five-year project to reintroduce the once native species to Ireland. Once a bird dies the transmitter emits a distinctive signal which leads the park ranger to the corpse.
Under wildlife protection laws, the offender could face up to two years in prison and a €12,700 fine if convicted of negligently or knowingly killing the birds.
PA