A Tasmanian man who shot and killed 350 kookaburras because they were impacting his native wildlife has been fined $5,000 by a judge for not possessing the appropriate firearms licence.

Neil Gordon Whitford, 60, of Deviot, admitted in the Supreme Court in Launceston he shot the kookaburras over a nine-month period in 2021 using a semi-automatic rifle.

The court heard Mr Whitford had held a Category A firearms licence since 1996, but he needed a Category C licence for the rifle used to perform the cull.

Justice Robert Pearce said during sentencing on Monday that Mr Whitford’s 15-acre rural property was “invaded” by a large number of kookaburras in 2021 after bushfires nearby.

Justice Pearce said he could not take into account the actual number of kookaburras culled for sentencing.

“Kookaburras are not native to Tasmania,” Justice Pearce said.

Kookaburras were introduced to Tasmania in the early 1900s to control snakes.

While the birds are protected in most other parts of Australia, they are not in Tasmania, and according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, no permit is required to manage them.

In 2020, the Greens and other bird conservationists called for a Tasmanian kookaburra cull following reports the birds’ aggressive behaviour was displacing some native species, but the idea was rejected by the Gutwein Liberal state government.

Justice Pearce said the rifle Mr Whitford used was “suitable” for pest control, but he knowingly possessed and used it without possessing the right firearms licence.