Where is bird hunting and trapping happening?
Bird hunting and trapping is widespread everywhere, where many birds occur. This is why most of the hunting and poaching hotspots can be found on the three main migratory bird routes of the western palearctic:
1st Western flyway: via France, Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco
2nd central flyway: via the Alps, Italy and Malta to Tunisia
3rd Eastern flyway: via the Balkans, Turkey, Cyprus and Lebanon to Egypt
Migratory birds are particularly concentrated each spring and autumn in the so-called "bottleneck regions". These are places like mountain passes, land bridges or islands, which the birds have to pass through during their migration. Resting areas on these routes, such as isolated waters or forests, where migratory birds gather to sleep or to search for food, are also risky.
Although bird hunting and trapping exist almost everywhere, they are not equally widespread on all migratory routes. Large parts of Spain, the south of France, the north of Italy, Malta, the Aegean, as well as the south of Cyprus and the entire Middle East and North Africa are affected. But there are also problem regions outside these areas: Waterfowl hunting is widespread in the large lowlands of northern Germany and Poland, illegal bird of prey persecution occurs in the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria, and trade in naturally caught songbirds takes place mainly via turnstiles in Belgium, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe.
CABS has been campaigning for an end to bird hunting and bird trapping since the mid 70s. You can find out more about our work under Campaigns and Operations.