The bird was shot in its tail and body in two separate incidents

The young female was found at Hoare Stones in the Derwent Valley, near the South Yorkshire border with Derbyshire.

A post-mortem examination found the bird had been shot on two separate occasions in the past two months.

Peregrine falcons are a protected species and killing them can result in a jail term of up to six months.

Peter Robinson from the RSPB said the birds were no longer considered rare, but that did not excuse the senselessness of the killing.

"They are beautiful birds and people love to see them in our skies," he said.

"We condemn this killing. Whoever did this knew what they were doing."