Local delicacy banned from menus but is still served

AROUND half a million songbirds are illegally killed every year in Cyprus for a delicacy known as ambelopoulia.

- By Steph Spyro

Robins or blackcaps are caught in mist nets or lime sticks, which are branches coated in an adhesive.

They are pickled or boiled for the dish, which is illegally sold in some Cypriot restaurants at a cost of up to six euros per bird.

Restaurants have also been banned from serving ambelopoulia since 1974.

But lax enforcement of the law means there is little chance of legal repercussions.

Protected