A responsible hunter would not have made the “mistake” of illegally shooting a protected cuckoo and would not have fired unless he was certain he had correctly identified the bird, according to a representative of the hunting community.

“On certain flights – if it’s diving to a tree, or coming down to land, or if the sun is in your eyes – it might be possible to confuse a cuckoo with a turtle dove,” St Hubert’s Hunters president Mark Mifsud Bonnici said.

“But most hunters can identify any bird without problems, and know not to take chances if they’re not sure what they’re shooting – especially after what we’ve seen.”

Hunter Stefan Micallef, 43, was fined €2,500 on Wednesday for shooting a protected cuckoo in Manikata. He said he mistook the cuckoo for a permitted turtle dove.  

While condemning the incident, Mr Mifsud Bonnici said it had been “over-inflated” by people baying for “blood” after losing in last week’s referendum.

“I believe we have people’s trust after the referendum. Hunters have learned their lesson and we’re trying to keep what we’ve gained,” he said.  

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