CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION ON A DEROGATION FOR A 2026 SPRING HUNTING SEASON FOR QUAIL) REGULATIONS

CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION ON A

DEROGATION FOR A 2026 SPRING HUNTING SEASON

FOR QUAIL)

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 549.182

CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION

ON A DEROGATION FOR A 2026 SPRING HUNTING

SEASON FOR QUAIL) REGULATIONS

30th March, 2026

LEGAL NOTICE 80 of 2026.

(1)

The title of these regulations is the Conservation

of Wild Birds (Declaration on a Derogation for a 2026 Spring Hunting

Season for Quail) Regulations and these regulations shall be read in

conjunction with the Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening a

Spring Hunting Season for Turtle Dove and Quail Regulations.

(2)

These regulations are being issued in line with Article 9

of Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the

Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds,

hereinafter referred to as the "Birds Directive".

(3)

For the purposes of these regulations and within the

meaning of Article 9 of the Birds Directive, the Minister took into

consideration the conservation status of Malta’s reference population

of the Quail * .

Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms and

expressions used in these regulations, shall have the same meaning as

assigned to them in the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations,

hereinafter referred to as the "Wild Birds Regulations" and in the

Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening a Spring Hunting

Season for Turtle Dove and Quail Regulations.

For the purposes of these regulations, the Quail is

classified as a huntable species under Part B of Annex II of the Birds

Directive. In this context, the "small numbers" requirement within the

meaning of Article 9(1)(c) of the Birds Directive shall be understood

as "a sample in the order of one percent (1%) of the total annual

mortality of the population in question". For the purposes of these

regulations, "population in question" shall be understood with regard

to these migratory species, as the population of those regions within

the territory of the European Union from which come the main

contingents passing through the region to which the derogation applies

during its period of application.

* As detailed in the report dated March 2026 on the conservation status of the

Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) which is available on the website: https://

wbru.gov.mt/en/resources/reports-and-statistics/other-reports/.

CONSERVATION OF WILD BIRDS (DECLARATION ON A

DEROGATION FOR A 2026 SPRING HUNTING SEASON

FOR QUAIL)

The one percent (1%) of the total annual mortality of

Malta’s reference population of Quail shall be calculated as follows

Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

Minimum breeding success: 4 chicks per pair (30,900 x 4) =

123,600

Minimum clutches per year: 2

Mortality rate of first year birds: (247,200 x 80%) = 197,760

Mortality rate of adult birds: (61,800 x 71%) = 43,878

Total annual mortality: (197,760 + 43,878) = 241,638

1% of total annual mortality: (241,638 x 1%) = 2,416

For the purposes of the fourth proviso to regulation 10(6)

of the Wild Birds Regulations and for the purposes of these

regulations, the period for the hunting of Quail in Spring 2026 shall be

from the 13th April until the 3rd of May 2026, both dates included,

from two (2) hours before sunrise until noon

Provided that the provisions of these regulations shall

cease to have effect and no hunting activity shall be permitted in the

event that the Minister orders, by notice in the Gazette or any other

notice, that the Spring hunting season shall terminate immediately or

at a date as specified by the Minister.

For the purposes of these regulations, the Spring hunting

season shall be in accordance with the provisions of the framework

established by the Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening a

Spring Hunting Season for Turtle Dove and Quail Regulations and

subject to all the conditions as stipulated in the Spring Hunting

Licence.

(1)

The Spring Hunting Licence shall establish the

overall bag limit for the Spring hunting season at two thousand and

four hundred (2,400) Quails, as the total number of birds which may

be hunted under the authority of all issued licences taken together.

(2)

The Spring Hunting Licence shall cease to have effect in

the event that the Minister orders, by notice in the Gazette or any other

notice, that the Spring hunting season shall terminate immediately or

at a date as specified by the Minister.