Hunters will be banned from shooting a rare and beautiful duck under new proposals to halt the decline of six British wild birds.

The new rules would restrict the shooting of species including the distinctive woodremoved, and the striking pintail, goldeneye and pochard ducks, all of which are classed as under threat and have seen their populations fall sharply in recent years.

Once a familiar sight on lakes and reservoirs during winter, the pochard, a diving duck, is declining rapidly but the proposals would see a total ban on shooting the threatened species.