A BONE TO PICK

Italian Officials Busted for Illegal Feast of Tiny Songbirds

The menu included chaffinches, goldfinches, siskins, bramblings, hawfinches, and red crossbills.

Twenty government officials in Italy are under investigation for taking part in a feast of songbirds—including some rare species—that were illegally hunted. The Telegraph reports that Carabinieri officers who busted up the lunch—which broke COVID-19 restrictions—seized 60 of the creatures. The menu included chaffinches, goldfinches, siskins, bramblings, hawfinches, and red crossbills. The National Association for the Protection of Animals said it was “disappointed and angered” by the gluttony of the officials from Valle Trompia and Gardone Val Trompia. “Those who should be leading by example are often those who don’t care about the law.”