BirdLife Malta yesterday claimed migrating birds were being decimated throughout the islands, in breach of hunting laws.

As the bird migration season reached a peak, it was evident that the laws were being broken every day in various localities, the organisation said.

The government had allowed hunting and trapping of turtle dove and quail to continue in spring from March 25 to May 22 but this was only serving as a loophole, allowing a substantial number of hunters to roam the countryside and shoot at anything within range.

BirdLife said it was receiving reports of illegal hunting on a daily basis, less than a month since the start of the hunting season.

Birds of prey, especially falcons and harriers, were being targeted, as were as herons, swallows, hoopoes and bee-eaters.

In the last few days, when the migration of bee-eaters was particularly evident, hundreds of these birds must have been decimated, BirdLife complained.

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