Spoonbills shot as they sought shelter - BirdLife

Illegal hunters are targeting rare protected spoonbills as a record three flocks totalling around 70 birds sought shelter in the southeast of Malta from gale force winds, BirdLife said.

It said in a statement many vehicles followed the birds along the coast as the flocks dispersed to seek roost sites.

BirdLife said that its office received several reports of illegal hunting, including one that 11 spoonbills were killed in Delimara. The reports were forwarded to the ALE and patrols were sent to the area.

Fieldworkers sent to the area heard over 25 shots from St Thomas Bay and several more from Delimara, where a team was told the ALE had confiscated a shotgun.

BirdLife said it received photos of a hunter who fired six shots at several spoonbills, within just a few metres of residences in Marsascala. The photos were passed on to the ALE to help them in their investigations.

The organisation said that at least 13 shots were heard from St Thomas Bay area this morning. Only six spoonbills were seen leaving their roosts, one of which had a dangling leg – an injury consistent with gunshot injuries.

The Eurasian spoonbill (paletta) is a scarce but regular visitor to the Maltese Islands.

This impressive large white bird gets its name from the spoon-like tip of its long bill, which it uses to catch its aquatic prey from shallow lakes, BirdLife said.

“These so called hunters have shot at protected species during the closed season on their migration to their breeding grounds” BirdLife policy and conservation officer Nicholas Barbara said.

“The Spoonbill is listed under Annex I of the Bird Directive and is considered a rare bird in Europe. We are hopeful that the remaining spoonbills have made it safely off the islands,” he said.