A protected osprey has been gunned down by poachers just days after a group of flamingos were killed. 

Speaking in a statement, Birdlife said that the bird was shot down in Bidnija with a passerby witnessing the incident, The injured bird landed close to their car after being shot. 

Police were called in for assistance. However, the shooter is still at large. 

Birdlife explained that the osprey is a raptor species that is highly prized by trophy hunters for taxidermy and hundreds of these birds are on the wishlist of unverified taxidermy lists by hunters who benefited from past amnesties.

Over 523 illegally shot birds have been recovered over the last four years, more than double the amount when compared with the previous four years. 

“Today’s incident continues to pile pressure on the Maltese government to take action against illegal hunting and heed our call to immediately resume the verification process of stuffed protected bird collections,” BirdLife said.

Malta’s autumn hunting season is open till the end of January 2022.