At least three birds were seen falling to the ground after shots were fired at a flock of night herons in the Dingli countryside today, sources said.
The illegal hunt happened at around 12.30pm at Wied ir-Rum, limits of Dingli and was immediately reported to police by eyewitnesses.
Law enforcement combed the area and checked hunters they came across, but found no sign of the shooters or the three birds alleged to have been shot down.
Two bee-eaters reported shot
Members of the police's Administrative Law Enforcement section were also called into action later in the afternoon, after a bird watcher reported two bee-eaters having been hit by shots fired over the Tal-Virtu' area of Rabat.
ALE officers searched the site but found nothing and left empty-handed.
Both night herons and bee-eaters are protected species under Maltese law. Malta's autumn hunting season opened last week and is due to close on January 31.