10,000 dead songbirds headed to Italian restaurants confiscated
Jeremy Hancemongabay.com
November 15, 2011
The illegal haul included Eurasian skylarks (Alauda arvensis), Calandra larks (Melanocorypha calandra), red-throated pipits (Anthus cervinus), bluethroats (Luscinia svecica), European goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis), fieldfares (Turdus pilaris), mistle thrushes (Turdus viscivorus), reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus) and white wagtails (Motacilla alba). While none of these species are considered Endangered by the IUCN Red List, some songbirds are in decline in Europe due to habitat loss and pollution in many parts of Europe.
 Small songbirds like the Meadow Pipit are especially targeted by the illegal trade in songbirds. Photo: © Richard Thomas/TRAFFIC. |
"Despite TRAFFIC’s earlier warnings, the illegal trade in songbirds within Europe clearly still continues—a situation the EU should find unacceptable and do its utmost to rectify," said Katalin Kecse-Nagy, a Senior Program Officer with TRAFFIC, in a press release.
Songbird eating in Europe is not often discussed, but is hardly a secret. Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain has written about eating the ortolan songbird in France, a meal garnered from a blackmarket trade.
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