Man unleashes whipper snipper on native bird while mowing lawns, killing small bird

A gardener has been caught on camera using a whipper snipper to kill a native Australian bird.

The video shows a maintenance worker mowing the lawn of a home in Beresford, in NSW’s Hunter Valley when he comes across the plover bird on November 14.

The man can be seen sizing up the bird before charging across the driveway with the whipper snipper in hand.

He fires up the machine and points it at the small bird, sending a cloud of feathers into the air as the bird is spat out a couple of metres away.

The man walks over to the injured bird before stomping on it with his foot, appearing to kill it.

He then carries the bird’s body over to the bins parked in the driveway and dumps the remains.

The horrified homeowner posted the video to social media and said he warned the gardener a plover was nesting in the yard and to asked him to avoid trimming that section.

He contacted the RSPCA to have them investigate the matter.

A National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson said they are aware of the incident and have been working with the RSPCA on the criminal investigation.

Plovers, and all native species, are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, and harming them is an offence with a maximum penalty of $14,000.

To report any incidents of harm to native wildlife, please call the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water on 1300 361 967.