“We are in a situation where the species is on the Red List in lots of countries. In France, the nesting population is in danger of extinction.”

Frédéric Jiguet’s research could be the key to ending the illegal ortolan bunting hunt in France. The practice has been banned since 1999 but continues in plain sight of the authorities. Frédéric is taking feathers from the birds and testing them in the lab to see where the birds have stopped along their migratory journey. If this detective work can prove that the ortolans are touching down in France, he hopes the authorities will bring this brutal hunt to an end.

Frédéric Jiguet is professor of Ornithology in the French Museum of Natural History based in Paris.

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