BirdLife Malta said today that it had received reports of several pet stores illegally selling wild birds and these reports have also been passed on to the police.

The society said that last month the police successfully raided the Valletta market after it filmed wild finches being openly sold there. A number of people were arrested.

It was the second time that the police had to clamp down on the illegality at the Valletta market after a similar operation instigated by BirdLife reports in 2008.

The traders were selling Greenfinches, Hawfinches, Chaffinches, Linnets, Serin and Siskin, and in several cases had large numbers of these birds for sale.

Under national legislation trapping of finches and also selling of wild caught birds are forbidden.

BirdLife said that some traders were fitting fake rings on the legs of wild caught birds in an attempt to pass them off as birds bred in captivity.

"At several stalls in the market, birds were seen with ill-fitting rings which were too large for their legs. These rings appeared to be easily removable; something which is impossible if the bird was ringed legally with closed rings as a captive bred chick." said André Raine, BirdLife Malta Conservation Manager.