St Hubert Hunters (KSU) have instructed members to refrain from shooting moorhens following the recording of a breeding pair of rare vagrants, the Allen’s gallinule.

The organisation also urged other hunters to do the same.

In a statement this afternoon it said the recording of the Allen’s gallinule was feather in the cap of dedicated ornithologists Natalino Fenech and Michael Sammut.

KSU said that although few moorhen were legally shot annually, it instructed their members and urged other hunters to refrain from shooting moorhens unless identification was unmistakable.

“To the trained eye a moorhen is much blacker and easily identified due to its trailing green legs as opposed to the Allen’s conspicuous red legs.

“KSU augur that the main threats to these birds and their offspring, namely feral cats and rats, are brought under control.

“It would indeed be sad if such rarities are negated due to cat or rat predation or the actions of some irresponsible member of the public,” KSU said.