Protected Birds Shot Illegally During Malta's Spring Hunting Season

The Malta Wild Birds Regulation Unit has yet to release official figures for the spring 2026 hunting season, but conservation observers have already documented a troubling toll: at least 14 individual birds from both protected and non-protected species recovered with confirmed shotgun wounds between April 13 and May 3. The casualties include a tracked common kestrel whose satellite transmitter fell silent over Miżieb woodland on April 22—the same bird that had been shot, rehabilitated, and released just months earlier.

Why This Matters:

• Protected species under EU law—including marsh harrier, bee-eater, cuckoo, and corncrake—were among the confirmed kills during a season meant only for quail and turtle dove.

• Miżieb, a publicly accessible woodland in northern Malta, remains a hotspot for illegal shooting despite ongoing enforcement pledges.

• EU infringement proceedings against Malta for Birds Directive violations continue, with the latest case filed in November 2025 over finch trapping derogations.

• Enforcement gaps persist: BirdLife Malta reports that the Environmental Protection Unit frequently fails to deploy adequate personnel during peak hunting periods.

The Tracked Kestrel That Vanished

A common kestrel fitted with a GPS tracker had spent the winter months in Miżieb, a wooded area popular with walkers but also notorious for hunting activity. On April 22, midway through the spring season, the device stopped transmitting. The bird had already survived one shooting incident in October 2025, undergoing rehabilitation before its release. Its disappearance over the same area during peak hunting hours has led conservationists to suspect it may have been shot again, though the bird has not been recovered.

Two additional casualties discovered by hikers in Miżieb underscore the area's status as a flashpoint: another common kestrel and a common cuckoo, both bearing shotgun injuries. Neither species was on the legal hunting list for spring 2026, which permitted only quail from April 13 to May 3 and turtle dove from April 20 to May 3, with shooting allowed from two hours before sunrise until noon. National quotas stood at 2,400 quail and 1,500 turtle doves.

Protected Species Among Documented Casualties

The full list of recovered birds reads like a cross-section of Malta's migratory flyway: marsh harrier, bee-eater, wood sandpiper, little egret, spotted crake, corncrake, and hoopoe—all species protected under EU Directive 2009/147/EC, commonly known as the Birds Directive. An illegally shot turtle dove was recovered before its season had even opened, suggesting preemptive violations.

BirdLife Malta, which runs an annual Spring Watch monitoring camp with volunteers, emphasized that the documented cases represent only a fraction of actual illegal kills. Many shot birds fall in inaccessible terrain or are retrieved by hunters before enforcement officers can respond. The organization noted a marked increase in illegal hunting incidents during the latter half of the season, a period when enforcement presence typically thins.

Enforcement Shortfalls and Legal Obligations

The Environmental Protection Unit (EPU), tasked with patrolling hunting zones, operates with limited personnel and struggles to respond to multiple simultaneous violations across the archipelago's scattered hunting grounds. According to BirdLife Malta, staffing levels are insufficient to meet the demands of effective enforcement during spring derogation periods.

What This Means for Residents and How to Report Violations

For walkers, birdwatchers, and families using public countryside areas like Miżieb during spring, the overlap with hunting season presents both a safety concern and a conservation flashpoint. The woodland, nominally a protected area, becomes a contested zone where enforcement gaps allow illegal shooting to persist.

If you encounter illegal hunting or wish to report violations:

• Contact the police emergency line at 119 to report active illegal hunting

• Report incidents to BirdLife Malta directly for documentation and follow-up

• Provide details: location, time, number of persons, vehicle registration if possible

During spring hunting season (mid-April to early May):

• Be aware that shooting is legally permitted from two hours before sunrise until noon in designated hunting zones

• Avoid walking in popular hunting areas (such as Miżieb) during these hours, particularly on weekends when activity peaks

• Stick to clearly marked public paths and use caution if you hear gunfire

• As a pedestrian in public woodlands, you have the right to access designated public areas, but exercise awareness of hunting activity

If you witness wounded birds:

• Contact BirdLife Malta's wildlife rehabilitation center to report and arrange rescue

• Provide location details and a safe distance to avoid disturbance

Malta's continued use of hunting derogations—legal exemptions from the EU Birds Directive—remains under international scrutiny. The European Commission referred Malta to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in November 2025 for the third time over finch trapping practices, ruling that permits issued under the guise of "scientific research" effectively reintroduce recreational hunting. The turtle dove, a species in documented decline across Europe, remains on Malta's legal spring hunting list despite its vulnerable conservation status.

The Wild Birds Regulation Unit has not yet published enforcement data or prosecution figures for the concluded season, leaving the official tally of violations, confiscated firearms, and court cases unknown. Past seasons have shown a pattern of low conviction rates and minimal fines, factors that conservationists argue perpetuate impunity.

Tracking as a Tool—and a Target

The use of satellite transmitters on rehabilitated birds like the Miżieb kestrel serves a dual purpose: it generates migration data for pan-European monitoring schemes such as the European Union for Bird Ringing (EURING) network and provides real-time evidence of illegal shooting incidents. Malta has participated in EURING studies since 1965, and in 2022 rejoined the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS), submitting national species indices and computing the Farmland Bird Index (FBI) in line with EU regulations.

However, recent legislative changes have complicated these efforts. Legal Notice 251 of 2025 amended bird ringing regulations to allow certificates for trainers outside EURING-approved schemes, a move BirdLife Malta warns could be exploited to disguise illegal finch trapping as legitimate scientific activity. The notice permits the use of live decoys, further blurring the line between research and recreational trapping.

The Bigger Picture

An estimated 25 million birds are killed illegally each year around the Mediterranean Basin, with a substantial portion occurring within EU member states. For Malta, a critical stopover on the Mediterranean flyway, illegal hunting during migration seasons compounds population pressures on species already facing habitat loss and climate impacts across their range.

The Bern Convention and the Convention on Migratory Species, both of which Malta has ratified, obligate signatories to cooperate on cross-border bird protection. Yet enforcement discrepancies among Mediterranean nations—and within Malta itself—hinder meaningful progress. Conservation organizations have documented illegal hunting structures in Miżieb dating back to 2010, with repeated calls for the Planning Authority to take action yielding limited visible results.

Hunting Minister Clint Camilleri has defended Malta's derogation system, asserting that recent amendments strengthen enforcement and comply with ECJ rulings. BirdLife Malta counters that these measures serve as a "false pretext" for continued violations and do little to address the root problem: a lack of political will to enforce existing laws during peak migration periods.

For residents and visitors who value Malta's role as a biodiversity crossroads, the spring hunting season remains a contentious period where legal frameworks, enforcement capacity, and cultural traditions collide. The tracked kestrel that vanished over Miżieb in late April is both a data point in a European monitoring network and a symbol of the enforcement gap that conservation groups argue undermines Malta's commitments under EU law.