Two Arabs Arrested in Israel for Poaching Thousands of Protected Songbirds

Israeli border police and park rangers have arrested two men suspected of poaching, killing, and selling thousands of protected songbirds. The investigation, which lasted several months, revealed that the suspects, an Arab citizen of Israel from Umm el-Fahm and a Palestinian from Jenin, were targeting blackcap warblers during their autumn migration to Israel. These birds, which breed in Europe, Asia, and North Africa and winter in the region, were allegedly captured by the thousands, killed, plucked, frozen, and packaged for sale.

Following the investigation, authorities raided the homes of the suspects in Umm el-Fahm and the village of Anin near Jenin. During the searches, hundreds of frozen blackcap warblers, a protected species whose hunting is illegal, were discovered. One suspect appeared in court and had his detention extended, while the other was scheduled to appear the following day with police seeking to extend his custody.

The blackcap warbler is a small songbird that winters in Israel. The species is protected, and hunting or consuming them is prohibited. Despite these protections, the consumption of blackcap warblers is a traditional delicacy in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Cyprus, where the dish is known as "ambelopoulia." The birds are typically marinated and then baked or grilled, with a serving size of 8-12 birds.

While hunting and trading wild songbirds have been banned in Cyprus since 1974, and the killing and consumption of blackcap warblers specifically since 1988, an illegal market persists. Conservation groups have documented the sale of these birds to restaurants in Cyprus and Lebanon as a costly delicacy. In the autumn of 2023 alone, an estimated 435,000 migratory birds, including blackcap warblers, were illegally caught and killed in Cyprus, indicating a continued demand for the dish.