Rare birds reared on the Scottish estate of Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed have been poisoned.

Three red kites released from the Balnagown estate in Easter Ross have been found dead and another eight are missing, leaving only five of the original group of birds still accounted for alive since they were introduced to the wild.

Mr al Fayed was said to be upset after hearing of the fate of the birds.

One was found at Inchory in Moray, one near Aviemore and another in the Fort Augustus area. They were discovered after the transmitters installed to monitor their reintroduction showed they were no longer moving.

The birds were all found on sporting estates and the poisonings are believed to have involved the illegal insecticide Carbofuran.

Balnagown has supported the RSPB campaign to re-introduce red kites to the north of Scotland.

Gordon Robertson, the Balnagown estate manager, said: "Mr al Fayed is very upset about this. We keep the birds in old eagle cages in his private garden on the estate before they are released.

"Red kites don't kill anything - they eat what others have killed. There are, however, some people who think because it has a hooked beak and claws then it must be killed.

"Mr al Fayed is saddened by what has happened. He thought people were more enlightened about birds of prey. The situation is bad with another eight of the 16 missing, and we fear for them. We have another 12 on the estate just now being prepared for release when the RSPB say it is time."

The birds were a common sight in the north of Scotland 250 years ago but were hunted to extinction. A number of gamekeepers see the birds of prey as a threat and some unscrupulous individuals have been prepared to poison them.

Brian Etheridge, RSPB red kite officer, said: "Some gamekeepers still use poison to control what they see as vermin. Not only foxes and crows but birds of prey, as they think they will interfere with game birds.

"Red kites are field scavengers and do not pose a threat to other birds. Poisoning is a lazy method of pest control, dangerous to domestic animals and, indeed, humans. It is very frustrating.

"Because they scavenge they are vulnerable to poison. We estimate about 40% of all red kites released have been poisoned - it is a shocking figure."

The birds are taken from Black Isle nests and kept at Balnagown for about two months before they are freed.

They travel extensively in the first year or so but come back to where they were released in order to nest but with so many being killed the RSPB and the estate fear few will achieve this.