Bird trapping
Encyclopedia
Bird trapping techniques to capture wild bird
s include a wide range of techniques that have their origins in the hunting of birds for food. While hunting for food does not require the birds to be caught alive, some trapping techniques are used to capture birds without harming them particularly for research in ornithology
. Birds may also be trapped for their display in captivity in zoological gardens or for keeping as a pet. Bird trapping was formerly unregulated, but to protect bird populations many countries saw a need to enact specific laws and regulations.
that are set up in two parts that come together rapidly when triggered by birds or manually controlled to enclose birds. They are usually used for ground birds but some variants are used in shallow water for the capture of waterfowl. Clap traps may be placed at a location habitually used by birds or can include luring devices.
.
or other operations, the captured birds are usually released together rather than individually.
", often obtained from a local tree to favourite perches is used in many parts of the world to capture small birds. Other variations include the use of a long stick daubed with birdlime that is manually placed over the bird to cause its wings to get stuck. The sale and use of birdlime is illegal in many jurisdictions but its use was widespread in older times.
or low belling.
and Aveyron
. Around the Meditarranean birds are caught in France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyrus, Malta and other countries by traps specifically during the migratory seasons when birds travel between Europe and Africa and back. In many countries trapping of wild birds is illegal and thus represents poaching
. Cyprus is a stepping stone in the eastern European-African flyway. Although illegal for decades bird trapping is a black market enterprise with a profitable sale of birds to restaurants that cater to their patrons serving ambelopoulia
. The spring 2010 led to the killing of over a quarter million of birds in Cyprus. Some birds with weak flight can be captured by chasing them. In India waterfowl were once captured by hunters who walked underwater with an earthen pot over their head. By walking up to floating ducks they could grab the legs of the duck. Empty pots were floated for a few days to make the birds accustomed to them.
In Europe, the 1979 Birds Directive
and its amendments seeks to protect wild birds and allows hunting only within certain limits. According to the Directive use of traps, bird lime (glue), nets, live decoys and poison is forbidden at all times and birds are protected during breeding and spring migration. Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and obtained certain exemptions from the protective laws that apply to the membership states regarding wild birds. Trapping of several types of finch
es was allowed for five years until 2009 when the derogation
was phased out. Malta had about 4,700 licensed trappers in 2007 who, by exemption from European protective laws, continue to trap quail
, Turtle Dove
s, golden plover
s and Song Thrush
es. Further, illegal trapping continues to be a problem in Malta. In North America the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
and its amendments protect wild birds.
, the Barn Owl
and the jackdaw
. Jonathan Franzen
has called Malta "the most savagely bird-hostile place in Europe". Trapping also affects migratory birds at important stopover sites such as the Maltese islands. However, one book claims that Peregrine falcons have again started to breed successfully since 2009 in Malta and that the main hunting organisation openly speaks against illegal hunting and trapping. The author also suggests that claims by Birdlife are often exaggerated.
A study of prehistoric kitchen middens suggests that hunting by humans may have contributed to the extinction of several bird species.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s include a wide range of techniques that have their origins in the hunting of birds for food. While hunting for food does not require the birds to be caught alive, some trapping techniques are used to capture birds without harming them particularly for research in ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
. Birds may also be trapped for their display in captivity in zoological gardens or for keeping as a pet. Bird trapping was formerly unregulated, but to protect bird populations many countries saw a need to enact specific laws and regulations.
Trapping techniques used for research
Almost all traps make involve the use of food, water or a decoys to attract birds within range and a mechanism for restricting the movement, injuring or killing birds that come into range. Food, water, decoy birds and call playback may be used to bring birds to the trap. The use of chemical sprays on crops or food can have more widespread effects and are not usually included in trapping techniques although there are some capture techniques that make use of bait with stupefying agents. The mechanism can be physical and non-lethal like a noose that tightens around the leg or lethal like in deadfall traps. Lethal techniques have been used for the control of birds considered as pests or can be used in the capture of birds for food. Traps can vary in their design to capture individual birds or large flocks and are adapted according to the habitat and behaviour of the birds. Trapping is regulated in most countries and need to be operated by trained research personnel and failure to follow precautions can lead to injury or death of birds.Clap traps
Clap traps are spring-loaded frames with nettingBird netting
Bird netting or anti-bird netting is a form of bird pest control. It is a net used to prevent birds from reaching certain areas.-Crop protection:Bird nets are used to prevent bird damage of vegetable and fruit crops as well as seedlings....
that are set up in two parts that come together rapidly when triggered by birds or manually controlled to enclose birds. They are usually used for ground birds but some variants are used in shallow water for the capture of waterfowl. Clap traps may be placed at a location habitually used by birds or can include luring devices.
Funnel traps
Funnel traps have a narrow entrance into which birds may be lured or driven and the entrance typically leads to larger holding pen or corral (which also gives them the name of corral trap). Funnel traps can be very large and a particularly well-known large scale form was devised in the German bird observatory at Heligoland and are termed as a Heligoland trapHeligoland trap
A Heligoland trap is a large, building-sized, funnel-shaped, rigid structure of wire mesh or netting used to trap birds, so that they can be banded or otherwise studied by ornithologists....
.
Cannon nets
Flocking birds are sometimes trapped using a large net which is thrown using a series of synchronized cannons or rockets that shoot a weight that drags a net behind it over the entire flock. These nets are also called rocket nets or boom nets. Capturing entire flocks can be an important in studies where large numbers of birds need to be examined (such as when monitoring for viruses) or when the birds are gregarious and social. These techniques are used especially in open habitats and are particularly suited for waders and waterbirds. After examination, ringingBird ringing
Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...
or other operations, the captured birds are usually released together rather than individually.
Mist nets
Mist nets are fine nets that are suitable for capturing birds in woodlands. The fine net is strung across trees so as to lie in the flight path of a bird. A bird flies into the nearly invisible net and falls to a fold at the bottom of the net where it usually gets entangled. These nets are used especially in bird ringing and are typically never left unsupervised. A bird that falls is quickly removed to avoid injury to the bird and to prevent them from falling prey to predators.Noose traps
Birds that walk on the ground can be captured using an array of mono-filament nooses. These are usually placed along favoured feeding, roosting or nest sites. Some raptors are trapped using live-bait and nooses on the cage holding the bait. This trap, also known as a bal-chatri, has also been adapted to capture other birds such as shrikes. A "noose carpet" is another variant that consists of a number of tiny nooses on a mat.Birdlime
The muscles of perching birds allow the toes to pull inwards with some force but there are no strong muscles to open them up. The application of sticky latex, "birdlimeBirdlime
Birdlime is an adhesive substance used in trapping birds. It is spread on a branch or twig, upon which a bird may land and be caught. Its use is illegal in many jurisdictions....
", often obtained from a local tree to favourite perches is used in many parts of the world to capture small birds. Other variations include the use of a long stick daubed with birdlime that is manually placed over the bird to cause its wings to get stuck. The sale and use of birdlime is illegal in many jurisdictions but its use was widespread in older times.
Spot-light trapping
Some birds such as partridges and pheasants can be caught in the night by stunning them with bright light beams. Before the 19th Century, lanterns were used for hunting larks at night in Spain, Italy and England. In Italy the technique was known as lanciatoia and in England it was referred to as bat-fowlingBat-fowling
Bat-fowling is an archaic method of catching birds at night, while they are at roost. It has involved lighting straw or torches near their roost. After waking them up out of their roost, the birds fly toward the flames, where, being amazed, they are easily caught in nets, or beaten with bats...
or low belling.
Other methods used in control and hunting
A number of lethal techniques have been described for the killing of birds. Dead-fall traps, consisting of heavy slabs or branches, that fall onto the targets when they trigger it from below have been described from early times. A painting of such a trap for killing crows was made by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. Birds are particularly vulnerable at their nest and a variety of methods to capture nesting birds exist around the world. In 2005, after a 100-year long prohibition, the French government permitted the reintroduction of the use of stone traps ("tendelles") in the Départements LozèreLozère
Lozère , is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.- History :Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
and Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
. Around the Meditarranean birds are caught in France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyrus, Malta and other countries by traps specifically during the migratory seasons when birds travel between Europe and Africa and back. In many countries trapping of wild birds is illegal and thus represents poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
. Cyprus is a stepping stone in the eastern European-African flyway. Although illegal for decades bird trapping is a black market enterprise with a profitable sale of birds to restaurants that cater to their patrons serving ambelopoulia
Ambelopoulia
Ambelopoulia is a controversial dish of pickled or boiled songbirds served in some Cypriot restaurants. It is illegal in Cyprus as it involves trapping wild birds such as Blackcaps and European Robins. Trapping kills birds indiscriminately, thus internationally protected species of migratory birds...
. The spring 2010 led to the killing of over a quarter million of birds in Cyprus. Some birds with weak flight can be captured by chasing them. In India waterfowl were once captured by hunters who walked underwater with an earthen pot over their head. By walking up to floating ducks they could grab the legs of the duck. Empty pots were floated for a few days to make the birds accustomed to them.
Laws
Most countries have laws prohibiting the use of traps for capturing birds. Professional bird trapping may be regulated by licenses and researchers requiring to trap bird will usually need to obtain permissions. Hunting to some extent may however be allowed and some birds may be exempted. Traps may thus be used under some circumstances such as in the control of birds considered as pests. Some international treaties aim to protect migratory species across national boundaries. Some organizations work to protect birds from trappers. Several organizations have emerged to identify and remove traps and help authorities. Among the volunteer organizations are Lega per l´Abolizione della Caccia (League for the Abolition of Hunting), Centro Soccorso Animali Modena (CSA) Modena (Fauna Rescue Centre Modena), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Italia), and LIPU (Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli or Italian League for Bird Protection, Naples) One volunteer organization removed 150,000 illegal traps during a ten-year span.In Europe, the 1979 Birds Directive
Birds Directive
The Birds Directive is a European Union directive adopted in 2009. It replaces Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds which was modified several times and had become very unclear...
and its amendments seeks to protect wild birds and allows hunting only within certain limits. According to the Directive use of traps, bird lime (glue), nets, live decoys and poison is forbidden at all times and birds are protected during breeding and spring migration. Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and obtained certain exemptions from the protective laws that apply to the membership states regarding wild birds. Trapping of several types of finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es was allowed for five years until 2009 when the derogation
Derogation
Derogation is the partial revocation of a law, as opposed to abrogation or the total abolition of a law. The term is used in both civil law and common law. It is sometimes used, loosely, to mean abrogation, as in the legal maxim: Lex posterior derogat priori, i.e...
was phased out. Malta had about 4,700 licensed trappers in 2007 who, by exemption from European protective laws, continue to trap quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
, Turtle Dove
Turtle Dove
The European Turtle Dove , also known as Turtle Dove, is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes the doves and pigeons.-Distribution & Status:...
s, golden plover
Eurasian Golden Plover
The European Golden Plover is a largish plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers. American Golden Plover, Pluvialis dominiica, and Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva, are both smaller, slimmer and relatively longer-legged than European Golden Plover, and both have grey...
s and Song Thrush
Song Thrush
The Song Thrush is a thrush that breeds across much of Eurasia. It is also known in English dialects as throstle or mavis. It has brown upperparts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies...
es. Further, illegal trapping continues to be a problem in Malta. In North America the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , codified at , is a United States federal law, at first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain...
and its amendments protect wild birds.
Ecological impact
Trapping can devastate local bird populations and also impact migrants at critical stopover sites. In Malta three local species have been extirpated by trappers and hunters—the Peregrine FalconPeregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, the Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
and the jackdaw
Jackdaw
The Jackdaw , sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or Western Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly sedentary, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are...
. Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Franzen is an American novelist and essayist. His third novel, The Corrections , a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction...
has called Malta "the most savagely bird-hostile place in Europe". Trapping also affects migratory birds at important stopover sites such as the Maltese islands. However, one book claims that Peregrine falcons have again started to breed successfully since 2009 in Malta and that the main hunting organisation openly speaks against illegal hunting and trapping. The author also suggests that claims by Birdlife are often exaggerated.
A study of prehistoric kitchen middens suggests that hunting by humans may have contributed to the extinction of several bird species.