An injured honey buzzard has been recovered from a field in Siggiewi, the first shot protected bird Birdlife has received during this autumn hunting season.

In a statement, Birdlife said it was alerted about the incident by a member of the public.

Bird's X-Ray. Photo: Birdlife

An X-ray image revealed nine pellets in the bird’s body and a fracture to its left wing. The bird has been passed over to the police's Administrative Law Enforcement for rehabilitation.

In a separate incident, birdwatchers reported seeing at least two other honey buzzards shot down over Tal-Virtu’ area, limits of Rabat, yesterday evening. The matter was reported to the police.

Honey buzzards are protected by the Birds Directive and subject to special conservation measures and cannot be hunted anywhere in the EU.

They are one of the most common targets of illegal hunting in Malta in autumn when thousands of these birds are migrating from Europe to Africa, Birdlife said.

It appealed to anyone encountering an illegal hunting to report it to the police on 119 or to BirdLife on 2134 7644.