Turtle Dove Populations Are <em>Soaring</em>

Recent years have seen a 25 percent increase in turtle doves across Western Europe, one of the world’s most endangered bird species.

“The record number of dedicated farmers and volunteers involved ensures we can continue to support the UK population of this iconic species, and we see more and more of these heroes rewarded with the purring song of the turtle dove returning to their land as a result of the great work they have done,” says Mike Shurmer, head of The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, England.

In 2021, a temporary ban on the shooting of migratory birds was put in place across France, Spain, and Portugal. The ban is largely responsible for the major increase in turtle doves in the area, with records indicating an additional 400,000 breeding pairs across this region of western Europe. Though this bird’s conservation success hasn’t “officially” arrived in the United Kingdom, work is being done to ensure the rewilding of areas and create supplementary feeding sites. “The future now looks a lot brighter for these special birds, and we hope to see the results of the dedicated efforts of farmers, landowners, and volunteers when we carry out the next national turtle dove survey,” adds Shurmer.