Tape lures swell bycatch on a Mediterranean island harbouring illegal bird trapping

Mediterranean islands provide shelter and sustenance for millions of
migrating birds each year. Humans have historically exploited bird
migration through hunting. In Cyprus, trapping birds during their
migratory peak is considered a tradition, but has long been against the
law. Illegal bird trapping is lucrative, however, with trappers using tape
lures that broadcast birdsong to increase capture rates. It results in the
slaughter of millions of birds each year. Yet, scientific studies
quantifying capture rates of target and nontarget species using methods
employed by trappers are lacking. Here, we show using playback experiments
that tape lures lead to an order of magnitude greater capture rates of
target species, but also significantly increase bycatch, which may include
species of conservation concern. Conservation efforts focusing on
minimizing illegal bird killing should also consider tape lures and their
contribution to the overall impact of trapping on avian populations.

地中海岛屿每年为数以百万计的迁徙鸟类提供庇护与食物补给。长期以来，人类一直通过狩猎利用鸟类迁徙的习性。在塞浦路斯，于鸟类迁徙高峰期设陷阱捕捉鸟类虽被视为一项传统，却早已违反法律。然而非法捕鸟有利可图，捕鸟者会使用播放鸟鸣的磁带诱饵以提升捕获率。这每年都会导致数百万只鸟类惨遭捕杀。但目前仍缺乏以捕鸟者所用方法为基础，对目标与非目标物种捕获率进行量化的科学研究。本研究通过回放实验证实，磁带诱饵可使目标物种的捕获率提升一个数量级，同时也会显著增加兼捕（bycatch）量，其中可能包含受保护关注的物种。旨在减少非法捕鸟的保护工作，也应将磁带诱饵及其对捕鸟行为给鸟类种群造成的整体影响所做出的贡献纳入考量范畴。