A pilot project to tag stuffed protected birds is to be introduced shortly, according to a Rural Affairs Ministry spokesman.

Through the project, a number of stuffed protected birds will be tagged electronically in an effort to establish the preferred tagging technique based on cost, security and aesthetics.

The project, which is expected to run for four months, will also assess the performance of the technique.

Electronic identification of stuffed birds is being made to strengthen the enforcement capabilities of the police.

Bird protection regulations stipulate that protected birds should be registered. There were two registration schemes through which hunters had to declare all the stuffed birds in their collection. The first scheme was introduced in 1996-1997 and a second scheme in 2003.

Police sources said that while inspecting collections following reports of abuse, the police often found stuffed birds that were not registered, which implied they had been shot and were being kept illegally.

There were several successful prosecutions related to such cases. But the sources added that they often found that declarations contained species which did not form part of the collection.

"It is quite common to find eagles, spoonbills, flamingos and such species declared which hunters hoped to eventually add to their collection," the sources said.

"A nationwide inventory of stuffed protected birds held in private collections would make law enforcement simpler and more watertight.

"Very often, when unregistered protected birds are found, hunters argue these belonged to friends who gave the birds to them.

"Though such an argument hardly ever stands up in court, tagging would make matters easier and eliminate abuse," police sources said. The pilot project would be undertaken with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The unit is responsible for helping member states implement EU policies.