CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION ON A DEROGATION FOR AN AUTUMN 2025 LIVECAPTURING SEASON FOR SONG THRUSH AND GOLDEN PLOVER) [ S.L. 549.179 1 SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 549.179 CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION ON A DEROGATION FOR AN AUTUMN 2025 LIVECAPTURING SEASON FOR SONG THRUSH AND GOLDEN PLOVER) REGULATIONS 18th October, 2025 LEGAL NOTICE 252 of
- The title of these regulations is the Conservation of Wild Birds (Declaration on a Derogation for an Autumn 2025 Livecapturing Season for Song Thrush and Golden Plover) Regulations and these regulations shall be read in conjunction with the Conservation of Wild Birds (Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening an Autumn Live-Capturing Season for Song Thrush and Golden Plover) Regulations. Citation. S.L. 549.
- 2.
(1)For the purpose of these regulations and within the meaning of Article 9 of Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds, hereinafter referred to as the "Birds Directive", given that, in Malta, Golden Plovers and Song Thrushes neither breed in the wild nor in captivity, the Minister is hereby ascertaining the absence of another satisfactory solution for the acquisition of live specimens from these two
(2)species other than by means of live-capturing using clap-nets as the most selective method of capture**2, in small numbers, and insofar as it is absolutely necessary to replenish the limited stock of live-birds in captivity for use as live-decoys during open hunting seasons. Scope, statement of reasons and evidence that there is no other satisfactory solution.
(2)For the purpose of these regulations and within the meaning of Article 9 of the Birds Directive, the Minister took into consideration the favourable conservation status of the Golden Plover and Song Thrush at both the European ("Stable" and "Moderate Increase" respectively) and EU levels ("Secure"), and also took into consideration their IUCN classification as "Least Concern"*†
- * *2 A report on selectivity and mesh-size and how the clap-net system operates was presented by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit to the Malta Ornis Committee on 31 July 2019 (included as Annex A to the Committee minutes of the same meeting) and is available on the site: https://wbru.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ oMinThirtstJul19.pdf. † * 3 The August 2025 report on the conservation status of the Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) and Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) was presented to the Ornis Committee on 6 October 2025, and is available on the site: https://wbru.gov.mt/en/ resources/reports-and-statistics/other-reports/. 2 [ S.L. 549.179 CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION ON A DEROGATION FOR AN AUTUMN 2025 LIVECAPTURING SEASON FOR SONG THRUSH AND GOLDEN PLOVER) Interpretation. S.L. 549.42. S.L. 549.
- The terms and expressions used in these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, shall have the same meaning assigned to them in the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations, hereinafter referred to as the "Wild Birds Regulations", and in the Conservation of Wild Birds (Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening an Autumn Live-Capturing Season for Song Thrush and Golden Plover) Regulations. Determination of reference population and small numbers.
- For the purposes of these regulations, the Golden Plover and Song Thrush are classified as non-breeding passage migrants in Malta that qualify as huntable species under the Birds Directive (MT: Annex IIB). In this context, the "small numbers" requirement within the meaning of Article 9
(1)(
- c)of the Birds Directive shall be understood as "a sample in the order of 1% of the total annual mortality of the population in question". For the purposes of these regulations, "population in question" shall be understood, with regard to these migratory species, as the population of those regions within the territory of the European Union from which come the main contingents passing through the region to which the derogation applies during its period of application, namely Finland and Sweden in the case of the Golden Plover (Wetlands International, 2009) and Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia in the case of the Song Thrush (Cramp et al, 1988; Spina & Volponi, 2008), as detailed in the report on the conservation status of the these two species which was presented to and endorsed by the Ornis Committee***3. Calculation of 1% of the total annual mortality of the reference population. 5. The 1% of the total annual mortality of Malta’s reference population of Golden Plover and Song Thrush shall be calculated as follows: Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria altifrons) Minimum breeding success: 3.64 birds per pair (172,089 x 3.64) = 626,404 Mortality rate of first year birds: (626,404 x 53.33%) = 334,061 Mortality rate of adult birds: (344,178 x 27%) = 92,928 Total annual mortality: (334,061 + 92,928) = 426,989 1% of total annual mortality: (426,989 x 1%) = 4,270 Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) Minimum breeding success: 4 birds per pair (664,306 x 4) = 2,657,225 CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION ON A DEROGATION FOR AN AUTUMN 2025 LIVECAPTURING SEASON FOR SONG THRUSH AND GOLDEN PLOVER) [ S.L. 549.179 3 Mortality rate of first year birds: (2,657,225 x 56%) = 1,488,046 Mortality rate of adult birds: (1,328,612 x 43.3%) = 575,289 Total annual mortality: (1,488,046 + 575,289) = 2,063,335 1% of total annual mortality: (2,063,335 x 1%) = 20,633 6. For the purposes of establishing the season for the livecapturing of wild birds in Autumn in accordance with sub-paragraphs (
- ii)and (iii) of the fourth proviso to regulation 10
(6)of the Wild Birds Regulations, and for the purpose of these regulations, the season for the live-capturing of Song Thrush and Golden Plover for the year 2025, hereinafter referred to as "the Autumn live-capturing season", shall be on the following dates: Establishment of the season. S.L. 549.42 (
- a)live-capturing of Song Thrush between 20th October 2025 and 31st December 2025, both dates included; and (
- b)live-capturing of Golden Plover between 1st November 2025 and 10th January 2026, both dates included: Provided that the provisions of these regulations shall cease to have effect and no live-capturing activity shall be permitted in the event that the Minister orders, by notice in the Gazette or any other notice, that the Autumn live-capturing season is to terminate immediately or at a date as specified by the Minister. 7. For the purposes of these regulations, the Autumn livecapturing season shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Conservation of Wild Birds (Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening an Autumn Live-Capturing Season for Song Thrush and Golden Plover), Regulations. Live-capturing according to set framework. S.L. 549.74. 8. The Autumn live-capturing licence, which shall be issued upon the payment of a nominal fee of fifty-five euro (€55), shall set the overall seasonal bag limit for the Autumn live-capturing season at five thousand (5,000) for Song Thrush, equivalent to 0.242% of the total annual mortality of the reference population, and seven hundred
(700)for Golden Plover, equivalent to 0.164% of the total annual mortality of the reference population, as the total number of birds which may be captured by means of live-capturing under the authority of all issued licences taken together. Seasonal quotas and special licence fee.