Turtle Dove Conservation: A Bird on the Brink

The turtle dove has declined 98% in the UK since the 1970s, making it our fastest declining bird — and individual welfare intersects critically with conservation at this level of crisis.

Key Facts

UK turtle dove population has declined from 125,000 pairs in 1970 to under 2,500 pairs today
They are the UK's only migratory dove, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa and facing hunting on migration routes through France and Malta
Farmland loss of traditional nesting scrub and food plants (fumitory, chickweed) is the primary driver of UK decline
Operation Turtle Dove is a multi-partner programme providing habitat restoration on arable farms
Sustainable hunting quotas are contested — with welfare arguments supporting a moratorium on turtle dove shooting during migration

Welfare Considerations

Turtle dove welfare is inseparable from their conservation at this level of population collapse. Individual doves hunted during migration are welfare casualties; doves that fail to find food on depleted arable farmland are welfare casualties; those whose nesting scrub has been removed have their reproductive welfare completely undermined. At under 2,500 pairs, every individual turtle dove is demographically significant. The welfare of this species intersects with multiple human activities — farming, hunting, climate change — and requires coordinated response at each.

What You Can Do

Support Operation Turtle Dove and the RSPB farm habitat creation programme for turtle doves
Advocate for a moratorium on turtle dove hunting in France, Malta and other migration route countries
Create arable wildflower margins with fumitory and other dove food plants if you manage any rural land
Report turtle dove sightings to BTO BirdTrack — population monitoring is essential at this abundance level
Donate to the Nature Recovery Network initiatives targeting turtle dove breeding habitat restoration