Skip to content

Three Protected Squacco Herons Shot Dead Along Malta’s Żonqor Coast

Adult Squacco Heron at Għadira Nature Reserve in Malta
Conservation · Trade & poaching

Three protected squacco herons (Ardeola ralloides) were killed along Malta’s Żonqor coast on 13 August 2026 after a BirdLife Malta team witnessed and filmed a hunter firing at a resting flock. The incident took place inside Inwadar Park, between Xgħajra and Marsaskala.

The BirdLife Malta team had located around 30 squacco herons resting along the shoreline when a vehicle approached from Żonqor with two men inside. One man left the vehicle carrying a firearm and walked towards the flock. BirdLife Malta contacted the police and requested assistance from the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU). While the team was still speaking with the police control room, the hunter fired two shots at the birds.

Two herons were killed and fell into the sea. A third was wounded and reached the shoreline, where BirdLife Malta reported that it was flushed by the second individual and then shot again. The bird later died. EPU officers arrived while the two individuals were attempting to retrieve the birds, and an assisting police vessel recovered the two birds from the sea. All three were retained as evidence, and BirdLife Malta reported that two individuals were expected to face proceedings in connection with the incident.

Squacco herons are protected and are not a legal quarry species in Malta. BirdLife Malta noted that the rabbit-hunting season was open at the time, while the autumn bird-hunting season did not open until 1 September. The organisation described the case as illegal hunting and used it to call for effective enforcement and penalties during the autumn migration period.

Sources and image credit

  1. BirdLife Malta. (2026, August 14). Hunter filmed shooting flock of protected Squacco Herons at Żonqor coast; EPU apprehends suspects.Primary first-hand source. A BirdLife Malta team witnessed and filmed the 13 August incident in Inwadar Park, alerted police, and documented the deaths of three protected Squacco Herons and the apprehension of two individuals by the Environmental Protection Unit.

Image: Adult Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) in breeding plumage at Għadira Nature Reserve, Malta, 9 May 2020. Photo: Denis Cachia (Wikibirdring474). Source: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative Malta image; not one of the birds killed in the Żonqor incident. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Trade & poaching

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.