A £1,000 reward is being offered for information following the discovery of a dead goshawk on the Chatsworth estate.
The bird of prey was discovered by a member of the public who then alerted RSPB.
The charity's investigations team recovered the bird and sent it for a post mortem examination.
Police say results revealed that both of the female goshawk's legs had been broken in the same place - injuries consistent with being caught in a spring trap.
The RSPB then passed the evidence onto Derbyshire police.
Spring traps are only lawful if placed in accordance with guidance for their use; for example in tunnels to catch stoats and weasels, or in situations where they cannot trap non target species.
Historically birds of prey have been deliberately targeted by the placing of spring traps on poles or stumps. This practice has been illegal since 1904 and carries a maximum penalty of a £5,000 fine and or six months imprisonment.
The RSPB is offering a reward of £1,000 for information that leads to a conviction.
Bob Elliot, RSPB head of investigations, said: "If misused spring traps are the bird equivalent of landmines, totally indiscriminate and lethal."
The dead goshawk was fitted with an ID ring, which revealed that it had been born into 2003, in the Peak District National Park, 15km to the north of the Chatsworth Estate.
Sergeant Darren Belfield, Derbyshire Constabulary's Wildlife Crime Officer, said: "We are appealing to anyone who may have information about this incident, or any other wildlife persecution incident to come forward and speak to the police in confidence.
"The misuse of spring traps where they are deliberately set to catch birds of prey is a barbaric act of cruelty which shows a clear disregard for the law and the conservation status of this protected species.
"The county of Derbyshire and the Peak District National Park should be a haven for wildlife species, and one where visitors to the area can expect to come and experience our natural diversity at its best.
"Activity like this is a blight on our county and countryside and we are keen to pursue and prosecute the perpetrators of such offences, anyone involved in this type of criminal activity can expect proactive enforcement action."
