What Birds Are Trapped By Poachers?
This is part of the series of posts Poaching in Cyprus FAQ What Birds Are Caught And Killed By Poachers? According to the first report on bird trapping levels by BirdLife Cyprus in 2002, more than 150 species of birds (39.5% of the total Cyprus check-list) have been recorded as caught with limesticks or mist-nets. (Hubbard 1967; Horner & Hubbard 1982; Flint & Stewart 1983; Magnin 1986). The 2002 study added seven new species to this list. The most commonly trapped birds are passerines, forming 71.1% of the species trapped and 98.6% of the total birds trapped. Among these, the commonest are species of the family Sylvia. Although only 11% of the species trapped, they formed 87.2% of the total number of individual birds trapped. These figures, however, are likely a gross overestimate, as these figures are derived from seizures of birds from trappers. As trappers selectively favor Sylvia warblers, it is likely that prior to being intercepted by enforcement agencies, trappers also caught ot
