An estimated 72% of hunters observed during the first week of this year’s spring hunting season were not targeting Common Quail but were instead primarily aiming at Turtle-doves, according to data collected by BirdLife Malta’s Spring Watch teams across Malta and Gozo.
The estimate is based on systematic observations from strategic watchpoints, where trained staff and volunteers distinguished between quail hunters actively walking through open vegetation often with dogs, and those positioned in hides, towers or stationary setups typically associated with Turtle-dove hunting. The figures, gathered over six mornings between Monday 13 April and Saturday 18 April, are considered conservative, particularly in areas such as Miżieb and Aħrax where dense woodland limits visibility of hunting structures.
In parallel, BirdLife Malta documented and reported multiple incidents to the police indicating widespread illegal targeting of Turtle-doves. These include the use of live or artificial decoys, electronic callers to attract migrating birds, and coordinated shooting following radio communication between hunters regarding incoming birds.
A shot Turtle-dove was also recovered from Ġebel Ciantar on Friday afternoon and admitted for rehabilitation. A veterinary examination confirmed the presence of lead pellets and a dislocated shoulder.
In several cases, hunters fled the scene upon police arrival. Video evidence of multiple incidents has been submitted to the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) for further investigation.
On Saturday, a BirdLife Malta team in Xgħajra filmed a masked individual actively pursuing Turtle-doves under Fort St Leonard. EPU officers arrived on site and caught the individual in the act. The hunter attempted to escape and resist arrest, throwing away his shotgun, and pulling a police sergeant downhill causing minor injuries. The individual has since been jailed due to previous offences, including other cases of hunting without a licence also reported by BirdLife Malta.
While this case involved an unlicensed hunter, BirdLife Malta notes that most illegal Turtle-dove hunting is carried out by licensed individuals, despite the first week being officially restricted to quail hunting.
“It is evident year after year, that there is no realistic way to ensure hunters restrict themselves to just quail once the season opens,” said Nicholas Barbara, Head of Conservation at BirdLife Malta. “What we keep witnessing is a systemic failure of regulation and enforcement. There is no effective self-regulation within much of the hunting community when it comes to Turtle-doves, and species-specific enforcement is practically impossible.”
With just under 8,000 licences issued this season, a ratio of seven police officers per 1,000 licences would be required in practice. BirdLife Malta questions whether such deployment is feasible, given the limited resources afforded to the Environmental Protection Unit of the Malta Police Force, and its absence from Gozo where police presence is typically only triggered by NGOs reports. This leaves large areas effectively unmonitored, allowing illegal activity to persist even in plain sight.
“Claims that the 1,500 Turtle-dove quota is controlled are simply false,” Barbara added. Although a reporting mechanism exists, fewer than 10% of hunters use it. At the same time spring hunting seasons involve thousands of hunters in dense concentrations, with hundreds of shots even from single locations as Turtle-doves fly past through lines of occupied hunting hides and towers across both islands. Footage of hunters targeting Turtle-doves during the first week is included in a video we’re publishing on YouTube.
“The scale and density of hunting activity mean that during the three-week spring hunting season, Turtle-doves are killed illegally in the first week, followed by uncontrolled and largely unreported killing in the following two weeks,” Barbara said.
BirdLife Malta is calling on the European Commission to closely scrutinise the derogation reports submitted by Malta’s Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU), and is inviting European Commission representatives to visit Malta during the spring hunting period and join its monitoring operations. Turtle-dove hunting needs to have an expiry given that this red-listed species is nearing extinction and is being deliberately killed during its pre-nuptial migration — a practice clearly prohibited under the Birds Directive.
Read our press release in Maltese.