The European Commission is taking Malta to court over its tradition of trapping finches to trade between collectors or keep in cages as songbirds.
The Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said finch trapping threatened a bird population already in decline, and it had already asked the Mediterranean island to ban the practice.
"Since Malta has not committed to end finch trapping, the Commission has decided to refer Malta to the Court of Justice of the EU," the Commission said.
Bird protection group BirdLife Malta said it welcomed the Commission's move and hoped there would be an injunction to halt finch trapping while the court case was under way.
The Maltese hunting federation argues that finch trapping is an important pastime for its members and that trying to breed them in captivity for sale is not a satisfactory alternative.
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