Bird shooting in France
There are 1,250,000 licensed hunters in France - more than in any other EU country. According to official figures, they shoot around 17 million birds a year - mainly migratory birds. The number of species that can be legally hunted in France is particularly high compared to other EU countries: 63 bird species are released for shooting, including songbirds such as skylarks, song thrushes and redwing, many waterfowl species as well as turtle doves and quails.
The song bird shooting is particularly widespread in France. While the skylark is a protected species in many neighbouring countries, French hunters are relentlessly shooting at the endangered species. Around 200,000 larks are shot every year in France alone. Millions of song thrushes, redwing, fieldfare and blackbirds are also shot down. In addition there is large-scale bird trapping with snares, limesticks, nets and other traps approved under derogations in several different departments.
Wader shooting along the French Atlantic-coast is particularly problematic. Especially in the Normandy, hunters frequently target highly endangered bird species. In addition to the curlew (hunting bag approx. 7,000 per year), snipe (180,000), lapwing (100,000) and the golden plover (12,000) are affected. Other species which are conserved with taxpayers' money in neighbouring countries, such as redshank, greenshank and bar-tailed godwit also end up shot in France instead of in their winter quarters.
Turtle dove are also heavily persecuted. Officially, French hunters shoot around 90,000 specimens of the endangered migratory bird each year; but given how these figures are calculated we can safely say the numbers are probably considerably more. In addition to legal hunting in autumn, many huntsmen go on the traditional - but long forbidden - spring hunt for the late turtle doves in May.