【推荐2】Every summer, about three billion birds migrate (迁徙) from North Africa to Europe and Asia. In winter, they return to Africa. As they travel from one place to another, they use the sun, stars, smells and landforms (地形) to find the way.

The migration is long and difficult, and some of the animals die during each trip. However, it is not this twice-a-year journey that poses the greatest risk for these animals. The main danger to the birds comes from hunters all over the Mediterranean (地中海地区), millions of migratory birds are killed every year. As a result, the bird population is falling.

In countries along the Mediterranean, many migratory birds are illegally (非法地) trapped or killed. Besides traps, hunters also use electronic calls to catch birds. They make bird sounds to attract the real birds. Some hunters also use nets to catch birds as they fly close to the sea. “There are no birds,” said one local man. “We walk for hours without seeing any. It’s really scary.”

Birds are in danger, and many countries are working to solve this problem. In the European Union, hunting migratory birds is illegal in some countries, while in others, it is strictly controlled—the birds can only be hunted at a certain time of year. What’s more, many nature-protection groups are making sure that laws are obeyed. This has been successful in many places. For example, Sicily, an island of Italy, was once a place where illegal bird hunting was common. Today, it has mostly eliminated (消除) bird hunting, and as a result, bird-watching is becoming popular there.

Wildlife organizations around the Mediterranean are helping to bring about change. “Hunting bans (禁令) are working,” said Martin Schneider-Jacoby, a bird scientist. “But there is still more to do. We hope to stop hunting and protect birds’ living areas all over the Mediterranean. If this can be done, the number of birds will increase. There’s a long way to go, but there is hope.”