The illegal hunting of rare birds remains a significant problem in the Mediterranean, according to anti-poaching groups in Malta and Italy. While recorded cases of illegal hunting declined by 11% compared to last year, thousands of birds of prey continue to be killed, particularly in the south of Malta where they tend to be concentrated. Conservation camps have been set up in the Straits of Messina, the four Sicilian islands of Pantelleria, Marettimo, Panarea and Ustica and Malta to record the spring migration. The camps hope to highlight the importance of bird of prey migration over the Mediterranean Sea. In Italy and the four Sicilian islands, 17 species of bird of prey were recorded, the majority of which were honey-buzzards. In Malta, several threatened species, such as the lesser kestrel and the pallid harrier were sited.