Father, two sons arrested on suspicion of trapping songbirds in near-invisible nets

ByMILLA WOLMANOCTOBER 30, 2026 13:10

A father and his two sons were recently apprehended in the West Bank between Halhul and Hebron last week on suspicion of hunting songbirds using nets, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) announced.

The three men were questioned in preparation for further legal proceedings, and the Civil Administration, the IDF unit responsible for implementing Israel’s civilian policy in the West Bank, seized their vehicle during ongoing enforcement activity by the Nature Reserves Unit, according to the INPA.

In addition, two other suspects were arrested this week on suspicion of hunting, smuggling and trafficking in protected wildlife and natural resources, the INPA confirmed.

The arrests followed a covert investigation by the Erez Special Investigations Unit of the Northern Border Police and INPA, in coordination with the Civil Administration’s Nature Reserves Unit.

The two are alleged to have trafficked thousands of protected birds and sold them to customers across the country in violation of the law, INPA said. During searches and evidence collection, investigators seized hundreds of frozen black-capped babblers, a protected species.

The INPA notes that these recent cases of songbird hunting are "very common in Judea and Samaria throughout the year, but their scale increases significantly during migration periods" in the fall season. According to the INPA’s estimates, many groups are operating simultaneously throughout the region, and thousands of birds are being hunted using nets.

The West Bank region lies on one of the major bird migration routes between Europe, Asia, and Africa, and like other areas in the Mediterranean basin that serve as "bottlenecks" for migration - including Cyprus, Malta, Lebanon, the Sinai Peninsula, and North Africa - the concentration of large numbers of birds over a short period makes them particularly vulnerable to hunting. 

Illegal bird hunting, which the INPA says also occurs in other regions of the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East, threatens migratory bird populations and can cause significant harm.

Recent incidents are 'manifestation of a broader phenomenon'

The INPA announced that they are "working intensively to eradicate this phenomenon" in cooperation with law enforcement and security agencies, and has reportedly already begun the apprehension of numerous hunting rings.

"Despite the widespread nature of this phenomenon, public awareness of songbird hunting in the West Bank remains relatively low", the INPA explained. They emphasized that the incidents uncovered in recent weeks were not isolated cases, but rather a "manifestation of a broader phenomenon in which thousands of migratory birds are hunted each season."

One of the most common hunting methods is the use of "mist nets": thin, nearly invisible nets stretched between tall poles anchored to the ground, according to the INPA. This method means that hunters are not required to remain on site continuously; instead, they return to the nets every few hours to collect the birds that have been caught in them.

During the fall migration season, the mist nets are set up near trees that attract migratory birds, especially those whose fruits serve as a food source, among other places such as between rows of olive groves. This method does not distinguish between species, and many birds may become trapped.

A significant portion of the small songbirds caught during this period, including warblers and thrushes, are intended for consumption. The birds are fried and sold in trays as part of a widespread, large-scale hunting phenomenon during migration.

Up to 500 birds caught in single 'hunting shift'

During a single "hunting shift" of eight to nine hours, one can catch anywhere from 50 to 500 birds, according to an investigation of gangs apprehended in the past. In most cases, the investigation says that after being plucked, fried, and prepared for consumption, the birds weigh four to five grams and are sold for NIS 5 each. Each tray contains between 15 and 20 birds.

 "Small songbirds play an important role in the ecosystem, in part due to their varied diet - throughout the year, they feed on insects and small invertebrates, thereby helping to regulate their populations, and during seasons when fruit is available, they also feed on fruit and help disperse seeds to new locations," the INPA explained. "In this way, they contribute to vegetation regeneration and the dispersal of plant species across the landscape."

Additionally, as a link in the food web, songbirds also serve as prey for birds of prey and other predators, thus forming part of the complex network of interdependencies that maintains the functioning of natural ecosystems."

The INPA urged the public not to approach or confront suspects if they encounter hunting nets or cages holding birds, but instead to withdraw and immediately report the incident to the INPA hotline.

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