BirdLife Malta reports Peregrine Falcon shot in Ġebel Ciantar Dingli

BirdLife Malta has recovered a Peregrine Falcon that was shot at Ġebel Ciantar, in the limits of Dingli. The shooting took place during the rabbit-hunting season and just days before the autumn bird-hunting season opens on September 1st, including the one-month hunting period for Turtle-doves.

The Peregrine Falcon is a protected species and cannot legally be shot. BirdLife Malta has previously highlighted the species as particularly vulnerable to illegal hunting in Malta, saying that although Peregrine Falcons continue to attempt to breed on the islands, their young are often targeted during what it has described as the “smokescreen” of the rabbit-hunting season.

Illegal shooting of protected birds remains persistent. During the 2026 spring hunting season alone, BirdLife Malta recovered at least 14 birds with confirmed shotgun injuries, including Common Kestrel, Marsh Harrier, European Bee-eater, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, Little Egret and other protected species. BirdLife says these represent only the cases that are actually recovered and documented, with the real number likely to be higher.

During the 2024-2025 autumn hunting season, BirdLife Malta and the Police together recorded more than 77 protected birds that had been shot. The casualties included birds of prey and other protected migratory species.

The autumn hunting season in Malta runs from September 1st to January 31st. The European Turtle-dove, which BirdLife classifies as a vulnerable species, may only be hunted between September 1st and 30th, subject to a national bag limit of 500 birds.

The Labour Party remains widely in favour of hunting in Malta under its pretext of defending “tradition” leading enabling a rise in environmental crimes and widespread tolerance to illegal behaviour.