Illegal songbird trapping in Mediterranean countries kills millions of migratory birds annually. Many species face population-level impacts from this traditional but largely illegal practice.
Songbird trapping causes acute suffering — birds trapped on lime sticks may struggle for hours before dying or being collected; mist-netted birds suffer stress and injury. The population-level effects are compounded by the fact that many trapped species are already under pressure from habitat loss. Individual welfare and conservation concerns are aligned: stopping illegal trapping benefits individual birds and migratory species populations. The challenge is cultural — trapping is deeply embedded in traditional practices — and requires sensitive but firm engagement with cultural change as well as enforcement.