Wildlife

Wild Turtle Dove Conservation UK

Turtle doves have declined by 98% in the UK since 1970, with habitat loss and overwinter mortality in Africa driving a welfare and conservation emergency.

Key Facts

UK turtle dove populations have fallen from 125,000 pairs in the 1970s to under 2,500
Turtle doves are now red-listed as a species of highest conservation concern
Supplementary seed feeding through Operation Turtle Dove has shown positive results on farms
Illegal hunting across the Mediterranean migration route kills thousands annually
Sahel drought affecting wintering grounds causes significant overwinter mortality

Welfare Considerations

Turtle doves undertaking long-distance migration face increasing welfare challenges across their entire range. Illegal trapping and shooting on the Mediterranean migration route causes traumatic death for thousands. Drought conditions in African wintering grounds cause mass starvation events. In the UK, inadequate seed food through the breeding season means breeding adults cannot provision themselves adequately during the energetically demanding nesting period.

What You Can Do

Support Operation Turtle Dove and farmland conservation schemes
Advocate for EU member states to ban spring hunting of turtle doves
Support international conservation funding for Sahel habitat in wintering range
Participate in turtle dove monitoring surveys in England
Donate to RSPB and BTO projects working on turtle dove recovery