Figpecker

figpecker (or beccafico) any of various small birds in the group known as warblers, in the Mediterranean region, especially S. Italy and Cyprus. The capture of these tiny songbirds for consumption, entire, as delicacies offends the sensibilities of bird-lovers and efforts are made periodically to end or diminish the practice.

Amaranth Sitas (1968), writing of Cyprus, observes that the birds, which were commonly taken in September and were subsequently visible in grocers’ shops in jars of vinegar, had been famous since medieval times. She draws attention to the following interesting passage by a certain John Locke (not the 17th-century philosopher), who visited Cyprus in 1553:

they have also on the Island a certaine small bird much like unto a Wagtaile in fethers and making, these are extreme fat that you can perceive nothing else in all their bodies: these birds are now in season. They take great quantities of them, and they use to pickle them with vinegar and salt, and to put them in pots and send them to Venice, and other places of Italy for present of great estimation. They say they send almost 1,200 jars or pots to Venice, besides those which are consumed on the island, which are of great number. These are so plentiful that when there is no shipping, you can buy them for 10 Carchies which coine are 4 to a Venetian Soldo, which is a penny farthing the dozen.