Illegal Bird Hunting in the Maltese Islands: an International Perspective

Illegal bird hunting in the Maltese Islands: an international perspective

A NDRÉ F. RAINE,MARK G AUCI and N ICHOLAS B ARBARA

Abstract Illegal hunting is a widespread problem in the and storks). More than  species use Malta during the Maltese Islands. As well as having a significant impact on spring and autumn migration periods (Sultana & Gauci, the islands’ breeding birds, the illegal hunting of migratory ; Casha, ; Raine, ). birds has a wider, international dimension. To investigate The Maltese Islands have developed a notorious reputa- the international impact of illegal hunting in Malta we con- tion for uncontrolled illegal hunting activities, which are sidered the entire ring recovery database of the Valletta Bird widespread throughout the main islands of Malta and Ringing Scheme, from the s to the present. All records Gozo, with hunters targeting the majority of bird taxa, of birds that were ringed overseas and shot by hunters in from raptors, herons and storks to migrating passerines Malta were analysed, comprising a total of  records of and hirundines. BirdLife Malta records thousands of inci-  species from  countries. The majority of these ring re- dents of illegal hunting and trapping annually (Raine & coveries (.%) were from species listed as protected and Temuge, , ; Raine, ; BirdLife Malta, ), in- non-huntable throughout the European Union, with a sig- cluding hundreds of reports of hunters targeting protected nificant proportion listed as European Species of species, and video evidence is passed on to local law en- Conservation Concern. Birds of prey were particularly re- forcement agents as well as the European Commission. presented in the database, .% of which were ringed as Illegal hunting in Malta has also received significant nestlings or juveniles, highlighting the impact of illegal media attention, both locally and internationally. Recent hunting on this group of species in particular. Species tar- examples of the scale of the problem include the massacre geted illegally by Maltese hunters originate from countries of a flock of white storks Ciconia ciconia in May  throughout Europe and Africa, particularly Finland, (BirdLife International, ), the killing of at least  indi- Sweden, Tunisia, Italy and Germany. For rare species or viduals of a mixed flock of booted eagles Hieraaetus penna- those with small breeding populations in affected countries, tus, lesser spotted eagles Clanga pomarina and short-toed illegal hunting could therefore have a significant impact on eagles Circaetus gallicus on a single day in October  the long-term persistence of European populations. (Gozo News, ), the systematic killing of black storks Poaching of species such as the pallid harrier Circus macro- Ciconia nigra (BirdLife Malta, a; Times of Malta, urus and saker falcon Falco cherrug could have a global im- ) and the targeting of white storks at the start of the pact on their populations.  autumn hunting season. The latter event resulted in the killing of at least one stork from an Italian reintroduc- Keywords BirdLife Malta, bird ringing, illegal hunting, tion effort and led to the temporary and unprecedented Malta, migration, raptors closure of the autumn hunting season that year (Malta Today, a); several ornithologists and journalists were injured in the ensuing violent protests by hunters (Times Introduction of Malta, a,b). Illegal hunting has also resulted in the extirpation of a he Maltese Islands lie along the central route of the number of Maltese bird species and has prevented their re- – TEuropean African migratory flyway and are an im- establishment in recent years (Raine et al., ;Raine, portant stepping stone for birds migrating between ;Sultanaetal.,). These include the western jack- European breeding grounds and African wintering grounds. daw Corvus monedula (the last individual was shot in Gozo The islands represent a vital stop-over and refuelling site for in ;Sultana&Gauci,), the barn owl Tyto alba, the birds to replenish fat stores for onwards migration (the last breeding pair was shot in ; Fenech &   (Sultana & Gauci, ; Raine, ), particularly during Balzan, ), and the peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus bad weather, and are also an important overnight roost (the last confirmed breeding pair was shot in Ta’ Cenc in site for larger migrating birds (e.g. birds of prey, herons ;Sultana&Gauci,). Peregrine falcons in particular pass over the Maltese Islands each year on migration and sometimes attempt to nest, but the persecution of ANDRÉ F. RAINE (Corresponding author) Kaua’i Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, PO Box 81, Hanapepe 96741, Hawaii, USA. E-mail [email protected] these species prevents them from reestablishing despite  MARK GAUCI and NICHOLAS BARBARA BirdLife Malta, Ta’Xbiex XBX 1120, Malta available breeding habitat and prey (Raine et al., ;  Received  January . Revision requested  February . Sultana et al., ). Peregrine falcons are particularly Accepted  March . First published online  September . prized and are targeted using decoys, live pigeons as

Oryx, 2016, 50(4), 597–605 © 2015 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605315000447 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.19, on 03 Oct 2021 at 15:51:10, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605315000447 598 A. F. Raine et al.

lures, and speedboats to access potential nesting areas on still targeted in Malta despite being protected it is valid to cliffs (Raine, ). consider all of the ring recoveries pertaining to birds being Reports of illegal hunting span the whole year and shot in the wider context of this analysis. occur countrywide. A significant proportion of the country’s , registered hunters (figures for the  autumn hunting season; WBRU, ) are involved as well as an Results unknown number of unregistered hunters. These incidents A total of  records in the database relate to birds that are well documented by both BirdLife Malta and the were ringed overseas and shot in Malta during –, Committee Against Bird Slaughter (a German conservation representing  countries (Fig. ) and  species (Table ). organization operating on the islands during peak migra- Only .% of these species may be hunted legally in tion periods), and video evidence is presented on their Malta. Ring recoveries represented  European countries, websites. four African countries and Russia. Four rings from the is- Since  licensed bird ringers have been carrying out land of Crete were recovered, and five from Sicily. The scientific studies and bird monitoring work on the five most commonly recorded countries were Finland Maltese Islands through the Valletta Bird Ringing (.%), Sweden (.%), Italy (.%), Tunisia (.%) and Scheme (administered by BirdLife Malta). This work has Germany (.%), which together account for .% of all helped to document Malta’s significance as a migratory recoveries. stepping stone in the Mediterranean, as the collection of The five most common species ringed overseas and shot data on international ring recoveries identifies the in Malta were osprey Pandion haliaetus (n = ), common European or African origins of species passing over the kestrel Falco tinnunculus (n = ), European turtle dove Maltese Islands in spring and autumn. This analysis aims Streptopelia turtur (n = ), black-crowned night heron to investigate the international impact of illegal hunting in Nycticorax nycticorax (n = ) and Caspian tern Sterna cas- Malta by considering the database records that relate to pia (n = ), which comprised .% of all recoveries. Of birds shot and killed by Maltese hunters. these only the European turtle dove may be hunted legally in Malta. Forty (.%) of the species recorded were listed as Methods Species of European Conservation Concern by BirdLife International (BirdLife International, ). One was cate- The entire ring recovery database of the Valletta Bird gorized as Endangered, one as Vulnerable and five as Near Ringing Scheme was considered initially, comprising , Threatened on the IUCN Red List (IUCN, ), and two records from the s until October . Ring recoveries were categorized as Vulnerable on the European Red Data were categorized as () recaptured and released by licensed List (IUCN, ). ringers, () resighted in the field, () brought in dead or The most common broad avian groupings (in terms of wounded by members of the public, () killed by hunters, total number of ring recoveries) were raptors (.%), wa- or () trapped by trappers and not released. ders (.%), gulls & terns (.%) and herons (.%). As rap- Only those killed by hunters (category ) were consid- tors were the most commonly targeted species we ered in the analysis, along with records from category  considered this group in more detail. Ring recoveries for where the cause of injury was confirmed by an independent raptors (of which there were  individuals of  species re- veterinarian as gunshot. Records in category  included corded in the database) were reported from  countries rings that were shown by the hunters themselves to mem- (Fig. ). The majority of these birds (.%) were ringed bers of BirdLife Malta, rings that were handed over to the as nestlings in their country of origin (predominantly Natural History Museum of Malta from hunters’ taxidermy Finland, Sweden and Germany), with a further .% ringed collections, those from illegal taxidermy collections confis- as juveniles (Table ). cated by the police, and rings retrieved from birds that were The most northerly recoveries were from birds ringed in shot by hunters and recovered by the police, BirdLife Malta Sweden and Finland. The most southerly recoveries were of or other NGOs. a curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea and a sanderling Prior to  there were no protected species in Malta and Calidris alba, both ringed on the Cape, South Africa. any bird could be shot legally. With Government Notice  in  a number of species were protected but it was not   until Legal Notice was published in that all species Discussion apart from  legally huntable species and  trappable species were officially protected. Some of the species protected The analysis has shown that birds from a minimum of  in Europe and shot in Malta prior to  would therefore countries are affected by hunting in Malta, with the majority have been shot legally. Nonetheless, as all of these species are of species targeted illegally.

FIG. 1 Numbers of birds ringed overseas and shot in Malta, recorded in the database of the Valletta Bird Ringing Scheme from the s until October . Group  comprises Estonia, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland and South Africa, with two ring recoveries from each, and Group  comprises Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Wales, Namibia and Nigeria, with one ring recovery from each.

However, the ringing database underrepresents the num- phenomenon has become more accentuated in recent years, ber of ringed birds shot, and probably the number of coun- with hunting organizations taking members of the public to tries of origin, for a number of reasons: a disparity in the court in an effort to keep them out of hunting areas. In  level of ringing activity in various countries; the fact that the FKNK pressed charges against a member of BirdLife Malta only recoveries reported to BirdLife Malta are recorded, who had been part of a UK film documentary team investigat- and not those kept by hunters in private illegal collections; ing illegal hunting in the Mizieb and Ahrax woodlands, claim- the decreasing likelihood of hunters reporting ring recover- ing that the documentary team had been trespassing on what ies of protected species because of increased scrutiny of the is actually public land (Malta Today, b). Maltese hunting community; the fact that areas where illegal Our analysis has shown that certain countries appear to hunting is prolific are dangerous for members of the public be particularly affected by illegal hunting activities in Malta. to enter; and hunters regularly hide the carcasses of Finland, Sweden and Germany were well represented in the protected birds they have shot, and leave them to rot or re- analysis, indicating that illegal hunting in Malta could affect cover them later for taxidermy purposes. The latter is well conservation actions being undertaken in these countries, documented; for example, in September  the carcasses particularly if their breeding populations of the targeted spe- of  protected birds that had been shot were found hidden cies are small. A significant proportion of recoveries of birds in the woodlands of Mizieb, an area used as a hunting from these countries shot illegally in Malta are birds of prey. ground by Malta’s largest hunting federation, the FKNK The central Mediterranean flyway is particularly important (the Federation for Hunting and Conservation; Raine, for raptors, with thousands making the crossing every year ). The Mizieb woodlands were searched again in  and passing directly over Malta (Beaman & Galea, ; and  and dead protected birds were found hidden Sultana & Gauci, ; Coleiro et al., ; Garcia & throughout the area (Times of Malta, c). Arroyo, ; Agostini et al., ; Sammut & Bonavia, The annexing of public land by hunters is a common oc- ; Panuccio et al., ; Raine, ). Many of these currence. Hunting occurs at a high density, with c.  hunters birds concentrate in the evening in key roosting areas in  or trappers per km of huntable land, and even more concen- Malta, where they are particularly vulnerable to illegal hunt- trated activity in prime hunting areas (Raine et al., ), ing. They are shot as they come in to roost in the late after- where hunters actively prevent public access, making it easier noon, or at night under the cover of darkness, by a network to shoot protected species without scrutiny and reducing the of hunters using walkie-talkies to communicate and pin- likelihood of ring recoveries being reported. This point roost sites of rare species. In spring, when flocks of

TABLE 1 All species listed in the BirdLife Malta database as ringed overseas and shot in the Maltese islands.

No. of ring No. of ring Species recoveries Species recoveries Osprey Pandion haliaetus 45 Ruff Philomachus pugnax 2 Common kestrel Falco tinnunculus 36 Little ringed plover Charadrius dubius 2 European turtle dove Streptopelia turtur 29 Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres 2 Black-crowned night heron Nycticorax nycticorax 23 Sanderling Calidris alba 2 Caspian tern Sterna caspia 22 Yellow wagtail Motacilla flava 2 Western marsh-harrier Circus aeruginosus 22 Grey heron Ardea cinerea 2 Common quail Coturnix coturnix 17 European greenfinch Chloris chloris 2 Black-headed gull Larus ridibundus 15 Montagu’s harrier Circus pygargus 2 Mediterranean gull Larus melanocephalus 13 Eurasian nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus 2 European honey buzzard Pernis apivorus 12 Pied avocet Recurvirostra avosetta 1 Barn swallow Hirundo rustica 12 Black kite Milvus migrans 1 Great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 12 Black redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 1 Purple heron Ardea purpurea 11 Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto 1 Great skua Stercorarius skua 10 Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita 1 Lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus 8 Common shelduck Tadorna tadorna 1 Wood sandpiper Tringa glareola 8 Common snipe Gallinago gallinago 1 Common cuckoo Cuculus canorus 6 Garganey Anas querquedula 1 Common scops-owl Otus scops 6 European goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 1 Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo 6 Great snipe Gallinago media 1 Dunlin Calidris alpina 5 Grey plover Pluvialis squatarola 1 Sand martin Riparia riparia 5 Greylag goose Anser anser 1 Sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis 5 Gull-billed tern Sterna nilotica 1 Squacco heron Ardeola ralloides 5 Northern house-martin Delichon urbicum 1 Common starling Sturnus vulgaris 4 Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 1 Eurasian golden oriole Oriolus oriolus 4 Lesser kestrel Falco naumanii 1 Slender-billed gull Larus genei 4 Lesser spotted eagle Aquila pomarina 1 Eleonora’s falcon Falco eleonorae 3 Eurasian linnet Carduelis cannabina 1 Eurasian hoopoe Upupa epops 3 Pallid harrier Circus macrourus 1 Little egret Egretta garzetta 3 Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus 1 Northern gannet Morus bassanus 3 European pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca 1 Common ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula 3 Red kite Milvus milvus 1 European storm petrel Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis 3 Red-footed falcon Falco vespertinus 1 White wagtail Motacilla alba 3 European roller Coracias garrulus 1 Audouin’s gull Ichthyaetus audouinii 2 Eurasian siskin Carduelis spinus 1 Collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis 2 Saker falcon Falco cherrug 1 Common buzzard Buteo buteo 2 Sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 1 Common redshank Tringa totanus 2 Short-eared owl Asio flammeus 1 Common sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 2 Spotted redshank Tringa erythropus 1 Common swift Apus apus 2 Temminck’s stint Calidris temminckii 1 Scopoli’s shearwater Calonectris diomedea 2 White stork Ciconia ciconia 1 Curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea 2 Woodchat shrike Lanius senator 1 Great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus 2 Yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis 1

raptors such as Montagu’s harrier Circus pygargus and harrier Circus macrourus, honey buzzard Pernis apivorus, marsh harrier Circus spp. roost in agricultural fields in osprey, red-footed falcon Falco vespertinus, common kestrel, areas such as Rabat and Delimara, hunters sweep the fields lesser kestrel Falco naumanni, hobby Falco subbuteo, pere- at night with dogs and spotlights, killing every bird they find grine falcon, red kite Milvus milvus and lesser spotted eagle. (Raine, ). Consequently, this group of birds is heavily The effects of illegal persecution on birds of prey are well persecuted in Malta, with large numbers killed every year documented (e.g. Cramp & Simmons, ; Hatsofe, ; (Sultana & Gauci, ; Coleiro et al., ; Sammut & Del Hoyo et al., ; Thirgood et al., ; Whitfield Bonavia, ; Raine, ; BirdLife Malta, ). et al., ; Saurola, ). As these species are often rare The systematic targeting of birds of prey is evident in the or declining, have small numbers of young and take several database. Ring recoveries from shot raptors (often in large years to reach sexual maturity, the impact of illegal hunting numbers) include marsh harrier, Montagu’s harrier, pallid on their populations can have implications for their

FIG. 2 Numbers of raptors ringed overseas and shot in Malta, recorded in the database of the Valletta Bird Ringing Scheme from the s until October .

conservation status. The peregrine falcon has been extir- status, declining) and purple heron Ardea purpurea (un- pated as a breeding bird in Malta despite this species migrat- favourable conservation status, declining; BirdLife ing over the islands annually and there being suitable habitat International, ). and sufficient food resources available (Raine, ; Sultana For many of the species in this analysis ring recoveries et al., ). were from only a few countries; for example, .% of osprey The impact on international conservation efforts is exa- recoveries were from Finland and Sweden, with .%of cerbated by the fact that the majority of larger birds shot in these ringed as nestlings, and in most cases undertaking Malta (such as raptors and herons) are juveniles that were their first migration. Satellite tracking of both Swedish and ringed as pulli in the nest in their country of origin. Some Finnish ospreys confirms the importance of the central of these, such as the colour-banded white stork from a re- European–African migratory route for breeding birds introduction project in Italy that was shot in , are the (Hake et al., ; Kjellén et al., ; FMNH, ). output of intensive and expensive reintroduction and con- Following global declines of this species in the late s servation efforts in their breeding countries; if the juveniles (mainly as a result of persecution and the widespread use are subsequently shot down in Malta this effectively negates of the pesticide DDT; Saurola, ), the osprey has been those conservation efforts. Furthermore, as it takes several the focus of intensive conservation efforts throughout its years for the young of many of these species to reach sexual breeding range and is listed as a species of unfavourable con- maturity, they have to survive several migrations before they servation status in Europe, with populations in Finland and are of a sufficient age to breed successfully. For birds that Sweden numbering ,–, (BirdLife International, migrate over Malta, the chances of survival to breeding ). With  records of osprey in the database (making age are reduced by illegal hunting. it one of the most commonly represented species), and regu- Many of these species are of conservation concern in lar reports of unringed birds being shot down every year Europe or even globally. Ring recoveries from birds ringed during migration, the systematic killing of osprey in Malta as nestlings or juveniles and killed in Malta include pallid could have a significant impact on Finnish and Swedish harrier (Near Threatened globally; Endangered in Europe, populations of this species. with a breeding population of – pairs), osprey (unfavour- This is also true for other species, such as the great skua able conservation status; rare), red-footed falcon (Near Stercorarius skua, Mediterranean gull Larus melanocephalus Threatened globally; Vulnerable in Europe), saker falcon and sandwich tern Sterna sandvicensis (the latter desig- (Endangered globally; European population – nated as being of unfavourable conservation status and de- pairs), lesser spotted eagle (unfavourable conservation pleted in Europe; BirdLife International, ). For these

TABLE 2 Numbers of nestling, juvenile and adult raptors ringed represents a good example of this issue as these birds are overseas and shot in Malta, recorded in the database of the heavily targeted. Ring recoveries from western marsh har- Valletta Bird Ringing Scheme. (These data were not available for riers include birds from Estonia, Italy and Finland, all all birds in the database.) with breeding populations in the low hundreds (BirdLife Species Nestling Juvenile Adult International, a). A ring was recovered from a pallid Black kite 1 harrier from Romania, where the population is estimated Common buzzard 1 1 to be – breeding pairs (BirdLife International, b). Common kestrel 16 7 13 Two of the three Montagu’s harriers from which rings Eleonora’s falcon 3 were recovered came from Germany, where there are European hobby 3 2 estimated to be − breeding pairs (BirdLife Honey-buzzard 10 1 2 International, c). It is apparent that the targeting of Lesser kestrel 1 these species in Malta could have a significant impact on Lesser spotted eagle 1 Montagu’s harrier 1 1 the small breeding populations in key affected countries. Osprey 45 Malta’s hunting laws have been weakened repeatedly, Pallid harrier 1 and the hunting lobby granted numerous concessions. Peregrine falcon 1 This is principally because hunting in Malta is a highly po- Red kite 1 liticized issue (Briguglio, ), with the two main political Red-footed falcon 1 parties alternately courted and threatened by the hunting Saker falcon 1 lobby. General elections are often won by a small margin, Western marsh-harrier 11 2 8 Scops-owl 5 and therefore the parties often actively seek the votes of  Short-eared owl 1 the hunting lobby; for example, in when Malta was Total 96 14 30 considering joining the European Union the Prime Minister wrote a personal letter to all hunters on the island, assuring them that joining the EU would not affect their hunting and trapping practices (Malta Today, ). species, ring recoveries have been from single countries Hunters will support parties that appear to favour the hunt- only. All ring recoveries from great skua (n = ) have ing lobby, and the main hunting lobby, the FKNK, often in- been from juveniles that originated in Scotland. With structs its members to vote for particular candidates (Malta , pairs, Scotland holds over half of the global popula- Today, c). tion of this species (BirdLife International, ). The recov- In , the year after the Labour Party was elected to ery of shot juveniles in Malta confirms the migratory government after years of a Nationalist government, new patterns of this species, with many juveniles leaving concessions were granted to hunters. These included ex- Scotland after the breeding season and spending the winter tension of the hunting season; the removal of an afternoon roaming throughout the Mediterranean (Flegg, ). For curfew during the peak roosting period for raptors, despite both the Mediterranean gull (n = ) and the sandwich the curfew demonstrably reducing the level of persecution tern (n = ) all ring recoveries have been from the of raptors; allowing hunting on Sundays during the contro- Ukraine. Illegal hunting of protected species that originate versial spring hunting season; and allowing finch trapping from single countries can have a significant effect on the for the first time in  years, with , trapping sites in breeding populations of these species. operation despite repeated warnings from the European For countries with small breeding populations of tar- Commission. geted species, illegal hunting in Malta could ultimately result The politicization of the issue makes enforcement of in the extirpation of the species; for example, key popula- hunting laws problematic as neither of the main political tions of eagles in Europe, which number only a few pairs, parties wants to be perceived as being too strict. At the be- could be decimated in the course of a single day’s hunting. ginning of the  hunting season the law enforcement unit A satellite-tracked juvenile osprey from a Corsican reintro- tasked with dealing with illegal hunting and trapping was duction effort went missing after its satellite stopped trans- weakened, with key long-term personnel reassigned to mitting after it left an overnight roost site in Delimara in the new units (Times of Malta, d). This ongoing weakening south of Malta (BirdLife Malta, b). It was assumed to of the hunting laws culminated in widespread illegal hunt- have been shot (although it was not included in the ring re- ing activities (which included the shooting of a white stork covery analysis as no carcass was found). This was one of ringed in Italy, and multiple birds of prey), and the govern- only six osprey chicks that fledged in Corsica in . ment closed the hunting season on  September for a - Many of the raptor species targeted in Malta have small day period. There were violent demonstrations by hunters in breeding populations in their range countries. A consider- the capital city, Valletta, on  September and local ornithol- ation of the various harrier species migrating over Malta ogists were attacked in Buskett Bird Sanctuary, leaving

two people injured; nine hunters were arrested (Times of addition of the turtle dove (one of the two species targeted Malta, a,b). ‘legally’ during the spring hunting season) to the European Violence against bird watchers and conservationists in Red List (categorized as Vulnerable because of its declining Malta is common. A BirdLife Park Ranger was shot and populations throughout Europe) will also need to be taken wounded on two separate occasions, in  and  into consideration (BirdLife International, d). With this (Malta Independent, ; Times of Malta, a) and his new conservation status, a derogation to allow spring hunt- farm was burnt down (Times of Malta, a). Bird ringers’ ing in Malta appears even less legally defensible. cars have been shot at and burned (Times of Malta, b), Given the international dimension of illegal hunting in international volunteers have been assaulted on multiple Malta, and the conservation status of many of the targeted occasions (Malta Independent, a,b; Malta Today, species, the Maltese government needs to recognize this as ) and BirdLife Malta Nature Reserves have been vanda- an international problem and deal with it accordingly. As a lized (Times of Malta, a, b). In the most serious in- member of the European Union, Malta has a legal obligation cident of vandalism an estimated , trees in a native to comply with the Birds Directive, the primary European reforestation project were cut down overnight (Times of legislation for the protection of wild birds. Migratory species Malta, b) and the same site was attacked  years later, must be protected by robust national legislation that imple- with  trees cut down. Following the latter incident ments the Birds Directive in its entirety. This is not only the three hunters were arrested and found guilty (Times of responsibility of the Maltese government but also of the Malta, ). European Commission, which must ensure that the laws As an example of how locally divisive the issue of hunting of the Birds Directive are enforced. Increased fines, custodial is in Malta, a referendum on whether or not a spring hunt- sentences for repeat offenders, shorter hunting seasons and ing season should be allowed to continue was held on the effective enforcement are key to controlling the situation. island on  April  (BirdLife Malta, a). Spring hunt- With judges handing out increased fines and several jail sen- ing, which is banned under Article () of the EU Birds tences in recent years, it appears that this is having a positive Directive //EEC, results in an annual spike in illegal effect on reducing illegal hunting activities in some areas. If hunting incidents as thousands of hunters take to the coun- illegal hunting is brought fully under control in Malta this tryside, with little regulation or enforcement. If the outcome could have positive ramifications for conservation at a of the referendum had led to the permanent closure of the European scale. spring hunting season this would have been a positive step towards controlling illegal hunting during the spring migration period; the benefits were demonstrated when the spring Acknowledgements hunting season was closed in  and , with dramatic decreases in illegal hunting incidents during the spring of We thank Helen Raine, Tolga Temuge, Mark Eaton, Charles these two years (Raine & Temuge, ; Raine, ). Gauci, Joe Sultana, John J. Borg and two anonymous re- Unfortunately the referendum passed in favour of keeping viewers for their comments and suggestions. We recognize the spring hunting season, by a narrow margin: .% in fa- the dedication and contribution of the many BirdLife Malta vour, .% against, with , votes cast. Reflecting the licensed bird ringers who, through the Valletta Bird Ringing importance of the debate, the results were the focus of inter- Scheme, have spent so much time and effort over the years national media attention (e.g. BBC, ; EurActive, ; carrying out scientific research on Maltese bird migration, Reuters, ). Predictably, when the spring hunting season often in the face of much adversity. was subsequently opened in  following the referendum, reports of illegal hunting increased, with protected birds References shot including common cuckoo and common kestrel (BirdLife Malta, b, c, d). After a kestrel was AGOSTINI, N., COLEIRO,C.&PANUCCIO,M.() Autumn shot and landed in a football field at St Edward’s College, migration of marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus) across the central in front of primary school children during their lunch Mediterranean in . The Ring, , –. BBC () Hunters win Malta bird referendum on shooting ban. break, the Prime Minister decided to close the spring hunt-   Http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe- [accessed ing season early (Malta Today, ), highlighting the fact  June ]. that illegal hunting cannot be controlled adequately during BEAMAN,M.&GALEA,C.() The visible migration of raptors over an open hunting season. the Maltese Islands. Ibis, , –. Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, spring BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL () Birds in Europe: Population hunting is still illegal within the European Union, and there- Estimates, Trends and Conservation Status. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. fore it is for the European Commission to consider whether BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL () White storks hunted down. Http:// or not Malta’s choice to have a spring hunting season as a www.birdlife.org/europe-and-central-asia/news/white-storks- derogation from the Birds Directive is justified. The recent hunted-down [accessed  January ].

BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL () IUCN Red List for Birds. Http:// FMNH (FINNISH MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY)() Finnish www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb/casestudy/ [accessed  satellite ospreys. Http://www.luomus.fi/en/finnish-satellite-ospreys January ]. [accessed  May ]. BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL (a) Western marsh harrier Circus GARCIA,J.&ARROYO, B.E. () Migratory movements of western aeruginosus. Http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet. European Montagu’s harrier Circus pygargus: a review. Bird Study, php?id= [accessed  March ]. , –. BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL (b) Pallid harrier Circus macrourus. GOZO NEWS () Death toll mounts as eagle massacre continues, Http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfact sheet.php?id= says BirdLife Malta. Http://gozonews.com//death-toll- http://www.birdlife.org [accessed  March ]. mounts-as-eagle-massacre-continues-says-birdlife-malta/ [accessed BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL (c) Circus pygargus (Montagu’s  January ]. Harrier). European Red List of Birds: Supplementary Material. HAKE, M., KJELLÉN,N.&ALERSTAM,T.() Satellite tracking of Http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/userfiles/file/Species/erlob/ Swedish ospreys Pandion haliaetus: autumn migration routes and supplementary pdfs/_circus_pygargus.pdf [accessed  orientation. Journal of Avian Biology, , –. June ]. HATSOFE,O.() Raptor migration and bird killing in southern BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL (d) European Red List of Birds. Office Lebanon. Torgos, , –. for Official Publications of the European Communities, IUCN () IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Http://www. Luxembourg. iucnredlist.org [accessed  May ]. BIRDLIFE MALTA (a) Police and BirdLife guard black storks, but IUCN () IUCN European Red List. Http://www.iucnredlist.org/ one shot–where was FKNK? Http://www.birdlifemalta.org/media/ initiatives/europe [accessed  May ]. press/hunting/view.aspx?id=#.VdcqziFwZhE [accessed  KJELLÉN, N., HAKE,M.&ALERSTAM,T.() Timing and speed of January ]. migration in male, female and juvenile ospreys Pandion haliaetus BIRDLIFE MALTA (b) BirdLife Malta appeal for information about between Sweden and Africa as revealed by field observations, radar “missing” satellite tagged osprey. Http://www.birdlifemalta.org/ and satellite tracking. Journal of Avian Biology, , –. media/press/conservation/view.aspx?id=#.VdcrNiFwZhE MALTA INDEPENDENT () Hunter fires shot at Foresta  ranger. [accessed  January ]. Http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/--/news/hunter- BIRDLIFE MALTA () Presumed illegal killing of birds in Malta. fires-shot-at-foresta--ranger-blm-/ [accessed Https://wcd.coe.int/com.instranet.InstraServlet?command=com.  May ]. instranet.CmdBlobGet&InstranetImage=&SecMode=& MALTA INDEPENDENT (a) BirdLife Malta volunteer punched in DocId=&Usage= [accessed  May ]. the face in attack. Http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/- BIRDLIFE MALTA (a) Historic day for Malta and clear win for -/news/birdlife-malta-volunteer-punched-in-the-face-in-attack- democracy. Http://www.birdlifemalta.org/media/press/hunting/  [accessed  May ]. view.aspx?id=#.VdcrzCFwZhE [accessed  January ]. MALTA INDEPENDENT (b) Court: hunter who attacked CABS BIRDLIFE MALTA (b) Cuckoo shot down on second day of spring official fined €. Http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/- hunting season. Http://www.birdlifemalta.org/media/press/ -/news/court-hunter-who-attacked-cabs-official-fined-- hunting/view.aspx?id=#.VdcsCyFwZhE [accessed  June ].  [accessed  May ]. BIRDLIFE MALTA (c) Shot cuckoo discovered in hunting hotspot. MALTA TODAY () Hunters to be charged for assault on CABS Http://www.birdlifemalta.org/media/press/hunting/view.aspx?id= volunteers. Http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national// #.VdcsRSFwZhE [accessed  June ]. hunters-to-be-charged-for-assualt-on-cabs-volunteers#.VQEavnF-So BIRDLIFE MALTA (d) BirdLife Malta welcomes closure of hunting [accessed  May ]. season. Http://www.birdlifemalta.org/media/press/hunting/view. MALTA TODAY () Political parties turned Malta into ‘hunters’ aspx?id=#.VdcsfCFwZhE [accessed  June ]. paradise’—BirdLife. Http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/ BRIGUGLIO,M.() Bird hunting in European Malta: a case of elections//political-parties-turned-malta-into-hunters- ENGO empowerment? In Occupy the Earth: Global Environmental paradise-blm-#.VPJj_nF-So [accessed  May ]. Movements (eds L. Leonard & S.B. Kedzior), pp. –. Emerald MALTA TODAY (a) Shot white stork was part of Italian Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, UK. reintroduction scheme. Http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/lifestyle/ CASHA,A.() Where to Watch Birds and Other Wildlife in Malta. environment//shot_white_stork_was_part_of_italian_ BirdLife Malta, Malta. reintroduction_scheme#.VHkbXTHF-So [accessed  January COLEIRO,C.,PORTELLI,P.&AGOSTINI,N.() Autumn migration of ]. marsh harriers over Malta. Proceedings of the Raptor Research MALTA TODAY (b) Police charge BirdLife activist who Foundation’s Second International Conference on Raptors, . accompanied Packham to Mizieb. Http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/ CRAMP,S.&SIMMONS, K.E.L. () Handbook of the Birds of Europe, news/court_and_police//police_charge_birdlife_activist_who_ the Middle East and North Africa, Volume . Hawks to Bustards. accompanied_packham_to_mizieb#.VHkhsjHF-So [accessed  Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. January ]. DEL HOYO, J., ELLIOT,A.&SARGATAL,J.() Handbook of the MALTA TODAY (c) Labour MEPs openly backed by hunting lobby. Birds of the World. Volume II. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/europe_//labour_ EURACTIV () Referendum fails to put end to Maltese bird hunting meps_openly_backed_by_hunting_lobby#.VPJjufnF-So [accessed tradition. Http://www.euractiv.com/sections/climate-environment/  May ]. referendum-puts-end-maltese-bird-hunting-tradition- MALTA TODAY () Prime Minister closes spring hunting season [accessed  June ]. after protected bird of prey is shot. 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Montagu’s harriers over land and over water in the Central local/hunters-plead-guilty-to-foresta--vandalism. Mediterranean. Avocetta, , –. [accessed  May ]. RAINE, A.F. () Report—The Discovery of Dead Protected Birds in TIMES OF MALTA () Protected stork shot dead by hunters in San Mizieb Woodland, Malta. BirdLife Malta, Ta’Xbiex, Malta. Blas. Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view//local/ RAINE, A.F. () A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Malta. Protected-stork-shot-dead-by-hunters-in-San-Blas. Langford Press, Peterborough, UK. [accessed  January ]. RAINE, A.F., SULTANA,J.&GILLINGS,S.() Malta Breeding Bird TIMES OF MALTA (a) Hunters attack birdwatchers in Buskett— Atlas . BirdLife Malta, Ta’Xbiex, Malta. FKNK condemns incident but “understands hunters’ frustrations”. RAINE, A.F. & TEMUGE,T.() Illegal Hunting Report . Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view//local/ BirdLife Malta, Malta. reactions-hunters-attack-birdwatchers-in-buskett-fknk-condemns- RAINE, A.F. & TEMUGE,T.() Illegal Hunting Report . BirdLife incidents-but-understands-hunters-frustrations. [accessed  Malta, Malta. January ]. REUTERS () Malta referendum extends spring bird hunting TIMES OF MALTA (b)  hunters remanded in custody following exception. Http://www.reuters.com/article////us-malta- Sunday’s incidents—relatives threaten cameramen. Http://www. referendum-birdhunting-idUSKBNND [accessed  timesofmalta.com/articles/view//local/update--- June ] hunters-remanded-in-custody-following-sundays-incidents. SAMMUT,M.&BONAVIA,E.() Autumn raptor migration over [accessed  January ]. Buskett, Malta. British Birds, , –. TIMES OF MALTA (c) CABS report finding another ‘bird cemetery’ SAUROLA,P.() The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and modern in Mizieb. Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view// forestry: a review of population trends and their causes in Europe. local/cabs-report-finding-another-bird-cemetery-in-mizieb. Journal of Raptor Research, , –. [accessed  January ]. SAUROLA,P.() Monitoring and conservation of Finnish ospreys TIMES OF MALTA (d) Environment police unit suffers ‘useless (Pandion haliaetus)in–. Proceedings of Finnish—Russian massacre’. Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view// Workshop on Birds of Prey, Kostamus, . local/Environment-police-unit-suffers-useless-massacre-. SULTANA, J., BORG, J.J., GAUCI,C.&FALZON,V.() The Breeding [accessed  January ]. Birds of Malta. BirdLife Malta, Ta’Xbiex, Malta. WBRU (WILD BIRDS REGULATION UNIT)() Government SULTANA,J.&GAUCI,C.() A New Guide to the Birds of Malta. publishes autumn  turtle dove and quail migration study report Malta Ornithological Society, Malta. and autumn hunting bag data. Https://environment.gov.mt/en/ SULTANA,J.&GAUCI,C.() Some notes on breeding species for government/Press%Releases/Pages/Press%Releases/MAFAR/ . Il-Merill, , . /PR.aspx [accessed  May ]. THIRGOOD, S., REDPATH, S., NEWTON,I.&HUDSON,P.() WHITFIELD, D.P., FIELDING, A.H., MCLEOD, D.R.A. & HAWORTH, Raptors and red grouse: conservation conflicts and management P.F. () The effects of persecution on age of breeding and solutions. Conservation Biology, , –. territory occupation in golden eagles in Scotland. Biological TIMES OF MALTA (a) Vandals strike at Ghadira Nature Reserve. Conservation, , –. Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view//local/vandals- strike-at-ghadira-nature-reserve. [accessed  May ]. TIMES OF MALTA (b) Vandals strike at , pine trees at Mellieha. Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view// local/vandals-strike-at---pine-trees-in-mellieha. Biographical sketches [accessed  May ]. TIMES OF MALTA (a) Environment ranger’s farm torched. Http:// A NDRÉ R AINE worked as the BirdLife Malta Conservation Manager www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view//local/ for  years during − and was also a member of Malta’s environment-rangers-farm-torched. [accessed  May ]. Ornis Committee (a consultative body that provides recommendations TIMES OF MALTA (b) Birdwatchers’ cars burnt at Buskett. to government on issues regarding avifauna) during that period. His BirdLife demands action. Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/ research interests include bird migration, tracking studies, seabird view//local/updated-birdwatchers-cars-burnt-at-buskett- ecology and the impact of introduced predators on island avifauna. birdlife-demands-action. [accessed  May ]. M ARK G AUCI has been working as Nature Reserves Manager at TIMES OF MALTA (a) Ranger shot in ‘ambush’. Http://www. BirdLife Malta since . He is the Head of the BirdLife Malta timesofmalta.com/articles/view//local/ranger-shot-in- bird ringing scheme, a bird ringer since , and coordinates ambush. [accessed  May ]. various local research projects. He occupies the post of avifauna expert TIMES OF MALTA (b) Break-in at Ghadira Nature Reserve. Http:// with Malta’s Ornis Committee. N ICHOLAS B ARBARA has been work- www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view//local/break-in-at- ing as Conservation Manager at BirdLife Malta since  and is a ghadira-nature-reserve. [accessed  May ]. member of Malta’s Ornis Committee. His interests include restoration TIMES OF MALTA () Hunters plead guilty to Foresta  ecology, conservation of threatened species, and ecosystem vandalism. Http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view// management.