Turtle Doves aren’t just for Christmas – but their numbers have plummeted by almost 99% since the 1960s. We need your help to save their gentle, purring song.
Every year, while we’re celebrating the festive season, Turtle Doves are foraging for seeds in West Africa. When spring arrives, they set out on an epic 3,000-mile journey across the Sahara Desert and south-west Europe to raise their young here in the UK.
Once they reach our shores, Turtle Doves look for quiet, sheltered places to nest in thick scrub or the widest and tallest hedgerows. For food, they rely on the seeds of low-growing wild plants, scattered across farmed land, fallow fields and grassland.
But that’s where the issues lie. There just isn’t enough food or shelter for them.
The Christmas carol refers to ‘two Turtle Doves’, and sadly, since the 1960s, the UK’s Turtle Dove population has plummeted by almost 99%. Around 122,000 pairs were counted in the 1970s, but in 2021, just 2,000 pairs were surveyed.
Changes to our farming systems mean fewer wildflower seeds, their main source of food. The loss of hedgerows and scrub has taken away safe nesting spots. Until recently, unsustainable levels of hunting along their migration route through south-west Europe were also adding to the pressures they face.
But the Turtle Dove’s story is one of hope. Through decades of research by RSPB conservation scientists, we know what they need to recover and thrive. And you can help.
In 2012, Operation Turtle Dove was launched, a partnership between the RSPB, Natural England, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, and Fair to Nature. Since then, hundreds of UK farmers, landowners and volunteers have been working to create the ideal conditions for Turtle Doves. That’s seed-rich plots for food, scrubby cover for safe nesting, and ponds for drinking and washing.
We know these methods work, and they’re being rolled out across southern and eastern England, where their numbers are strongest. But now we need your help, to ensure that we can keep doing this work in the future.
Through decades of research by RSPB conservation scientists, we know what Turtle Doves need to recover and thrive. And you can help.
In Western Europe, Turtle Dove breeding numbers have begun to rise. In 2018, the RSPB led on an international plan, working with experts across the Turtle Dove’s range from Senegal to here in the UK. Our push helped bring an end to the unsustainable hunting of Turtle Doves, and a sustainable hunting system was introduced in France, Spain and Portugal in 2021.
The current situation looks hopeful. This new system will ensure that Turtle Dove hunting along the Western European migration route remains sustainable.
So now’s our time. We need to give Turtle Doves the greatest chance of success. We need to give them the habitat, food and water they need to raise their chicks safely in the UK, and build on the work that’s already been done.
The survival of Turtle Doves needs two things: sustainable hunting practices across south-west Europe, and Turtle Dove-friendly habitats in the UK. Right now, the UK’s breeding population isn’t affected by the conditions on African wintering grounds. But this could change as pressures on land use and the changing climate there could pose challenges in future. We’re keeping a close watch.
We’re keeping a close eye on how Turtle Doves are faring across Europe, and ensuring their return is not jeopardised by a return to unsustainable hunting. When they reach the UK, the greatest challenge for Turtle Doves is hunger – there just isn’t enough food. Without seeds to eat, they cannot raise their young. That’s why we’re researching the best ways to provide food when nature can’t.
We also need to continue working with farmers, land managers, and communities to create the ideal habitats for Turtle Doves: long-term.
Turtle Dove numbers have plummeted by almost 99% since the 1960s. We need your help to save their gentle, purring song.
Your donation will support all our work to restore nature for wildlife, people and planet. This includes our urgent conservation projects to help wildlife most in need like Turtle Doves.
If you’d like to make a larger donation (above £10,000) to our work please contact our Philanthropy Team on philanthropy@rspb.org.uk who would be delighted to help arrange your gift.
.jpg)
Find out more about why Turtle Doves are in trouble and our work to help them recover.
Show your love for Turtle Doves by shopping merch today. Grab yours before they fly away!
Learn more about the Operation Turtle Dove project, and how you can support Turtle Doves at home.