Bird trapping with snap traps in Spain.

As everywhere in the western Mediterranean region, Spanish bird poachers also use snap traps to catch songbirds. These traps work on the principle of a mousetrap: two metal arches are kept under tension by a finely balanced catching mechanism and a strong spring. The catching mechanism is baited with a maggot or - a special feature in Spain - ants. If a bird touches it, the arches strike and kill the animal. Snap traps are mainly laid out on the ground.

In Spain, these illegal devices are mainly set up along the east coast and in Andalusia. They are mainly found in gardens. They are used to catch robins, pipits and other insectivorous songbirds.

Bird traps of this type are particularly widespread in the north Italian alps and on the south Italian islands, but are also frequently found in Portugal and France.