Turtle doves have declined by 98% in Britain since the 1970s and face multiple threats including habitat loss, hunting on migration and climate change.
Turtle dove welfare is compromised at multiple points in their annual cycle. Breeding habitat loss reduces food availability during chick-rearing. The migration through southern Europe exposes birds to legal shooting in countries like Malta, where spring hunting kills birds that have survived winter and are returning to breed. Climate change is altering the phenology of fumitory, reducing the window when their specific food source is available. Each individual turtle dove faces extraordinary cumulative pressures making successful breeding increasingly rare.