Ecological Dynamics and Conservation of Turtle Doves

The European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) has experienced sustained declines across its migratory range, driven by multifaceted pressures that operate throughout its annual cycle. As an obligate granivore, the species depends on a fine‐grained mosaic of arable fields, semi‐natural woodlands and pasture for seed resources and shelter. Intensification of agriculture has reduced wild seed availability on breeding grounds, while habitat loss and degradation in African wintering areas further compromise survival. Excessive hunting pressure along migration flyways contributes to elevated juvenile mortality, and age‐structured demographic analyses identify declines in clutch number and juvenile survival as principal drivers of population change. Advances in tracking technologies have illuminated complex flyway networks, staging sites and strong site fidelity, underscoring the need to protect key stopover habitats. Conservation strategies now emphasise adaptive harvest management, targeted supplementary feeding early in the breeding season, and landscape‐scale interventions that enhance habitat heterogeneity at woodland–farm ecotones. International collaboration, underpinned by robust demographic modelling and species distribution mapping, remains essential to halt and reverse the species’ downward trajectory.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent modelling work has demonstrated that presence‐only data can outperform traditional presence–absence records in predicting potential range and habitat suitability for the European Turtle Dove. By applying ensemble machine‐learning algorithms to climatic and land‐cover variables, researchers produced high‐resolution probability maps that exclude high‐altitude and mountainous regions while identifying underappreciated lowland refugia. The models revealed winter minimum temperature and summer precipitation as principal determinants of occurrence, offering a more discriminatory basis for prioritising habitat management, monitoring and restoration efforts.

Ecological Dynamics and Conservation of Turtle Doves publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ecological dynamics and conservation of turtle doves across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Presence‐only data: Records of species observations without confirmed absences, employed in species distribution modelling.
Clutch number: The number of eggs laid per nesting attempt, serving as a key metric of reproductive output.
Crippling losses: The proportion of shot birds that are not retrieved by hunters, reflecting unrecorded mortality.
Adaptive harvest management: A regulatory framework that adjusts harvest quotas based on observed population responses.
Habitat heterogeneity: The diversity and spatial arrangement of habitat types within a landscape, promoting ecological resilience.
Site fidelity: The tendency of individuals to return to the same breeding or wintering locations across years.

References

1. Age ratio, crippling losses and factors affecting daily hunting bags of European Turtle-dove in Spain: Implications for sustainable harvest management of a declining migratory species. The Science of The Total Environment (2023).
2. Rapid population response to a hunting ban in a previously overharvested, threatened landbird. Conservation Letters (2024).
3. Species distribution models of European Turtle Doves in Germany are more reliable with presence only rather than presence absence data. Scientific Reports (2018).
4. Migration Routes and Staging Areas of Trans-Saharan Turtle Doves Appraised from Light-Level Geolocators. PLOS ONE (2013).
5. Year-round spatial distribution and migration phenology of a rapidly declining trans-Saharan migrant—evidence of winter movements and breeding site fidelity in European turtle doves. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2021).
6. Effect of supplementary food on age ratios of European turtle doves (Streptopelia turtur L.). Animal Biodiversity and Conservation (2015).
7. The European Turtle Dove in the ecotone between woodland and farmland: multi-scale habitat associations and implications for the design of management interventions. Journal of Ornithology (2022).