A swan is recovering after being shot with a catapult, a charity has said.
The bird was found injured on the River Wansbeck in Morpeth, Northumberland, and Blyth Wildlife Rescue said it took three attempts to safely lure it on land so it could be treated.
A ball bearing was found embedded in the bird’s beak, which was then safely removed, and the wound is expected to heal.
John Anderson, the charity’s chairman, said it had rescued a number of injured swans this year, and he believed smaller birds were being shot and killed in the area.