Over 400 thousand songbirds slaughtered in Cyprus in fall of 2023, new report reveals

More than 400,000 migratory and protected birds, including endemic blackcaps and warblers, are being slaughtered and illegally served in local restaurants in Cyprus, according to a new report.

Trappers killed more than 435,000 birds in the fall of 2023, an increase of 90,000 compared to the same time last year, according to BirdLife Cyprus, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS).

Surveys have counted at least 157 bird species caught by trappers, of which 90 were listed for conservation under the E.U. Birds Directive. The eastern Mediterranean island is in the migratory path for millions of birds moving from their breeding grounds in Europe to overwinter in Africa each year.