Over 400,000 Songbirds Killed by Organised Crime Groups in Cyprus
A new report has revealed that 435,000 migrating songbirds were illegally trapped, killed and eaten on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus last year.
An estimated 435,000 migrating songbirds, including blackcaps (pictured) were illegally caught and killed on Cyprus in the autumn of 2023. Credit: Guy Shorrock, RSPB
Trappers illegally killed more than 400,000 migratory and protected birds last fall to serve as delicacies in restaurants in Cyprus, a new report reveals.
The report, produced by BirdLife Cyprus, with support from Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), found that the number of birds killed for this trade, including warblers and blackcaps, surged to 435,000.
Although this number is far lower than the two million killed every year up until a decade ago, it is still an increase of approximately 90,000 compared to the fall the previous year.
“Despite the very good progress made in recent years, this autumn was a reminder that this can be quickly reversed if enforcement resources are not maintained,” Martin Hellicar, the director of BirdLife Cyprus said.
The illegal trapping of birds in Cyprus is driven by demand for ambelopoulia, a traditional and expensive delicacy where songbirds are grilled, fried, pickled, or boiled, and then served whole.
To capture the birds, organized crime groups, including gangs, use electronic decoys to lure them into traps, usually ‘mist’ nets positioned between acacia bushes or glue sticks - also known as limesticks - placed on tree branches. Often, when the trappers pull the birds from the glue sticks, their legs are ripped off in the process.
“We cannot allow the progress we have made to be undone and the shocking levels of songbird killings to return to the abhorrent levels we once saw.”
Survey records show that at least 157 bird species, including owls, kestrels, and cuckoos, have been found trapped in mist nets or on limesticks, of which 90 are listed as conservation priority species under the EU Birds Directive, the report reads.
"Illegal bird trapping has become a demand-driven wildlife crime, with the trading of trapped birds in lawbreaking restaurants being the key economic driver for organized trappers," the conservation groups said in the report.
A female Blackcap caught in a mist net. Credit: RSPB
In 1974, Cyprus banned the trapping of songbirds for human consumption, but the practice remains widespread. For decades, millions of birds were killed annually, until an international coalition of conservationists - BirdLife Cyprus, Cabs, and the RSPB - started collaborating with authorities to crack down on the illegal activity.
These efforts saw a huge reduction in the number of bird deaths. However, last fall, the resources of the anti-poaching unit of the British military base in Cyprus were reduced, with the report highlighting that “this season was a good case study of what can happen when police resources are removed/redirected from illegal trapping enforcement and deterrence action.”
The report also emphasizes that to sustain low trapping levels, pressure, and sufficient enforcement resources need to be maintained for many years.
Mark Thomas, head of RSPB investigations said: “For two decades our international partnership has shown that we can work together to tackle this criminal activity through direct action on the ground backed up by enforcement action. However, this autumn shows that more still needs to be done, particularly in the Republic of Cyprus.
“We cannot allow the progress we have made to be undone and the shocking levels of songbird killings to return to the abhorrent levels we once saw,” he added.
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