Illegal songbird trapping in the Mediterranean region causes enormous welfare harm and conservation damage, with millions of migratory birds captured for food and entertainment annually.
Mediterranean songbird trapping inflicts acute welfare harm on millions of individual birds during migration, when they are already physiologically stressed and energy-depleted. Glue traps cause injury as birds struggle to free themselves, with wing and feather damage common even in birds that are subsequently released. Birds held after capture experience confinement stress, often without adequate food or water. The welfare harm is compounded by the targeting of migratory periods when birds are most vulnerable. Improved law enforcement, habitat-based deterrents, and public awareness campaigns have been shown to reduce trapping rates in some areas, offering a template for broader intervention.