Turtle doves are one of the fastest declining birds in Europe. Between 1970 and 2011, we lost 93% in the UK, paralleled by a loss in Europe of 69% since 1980. We know that a reduction in available nesting habitat and a reduction in food availability, both in the summer and in their wintering grounds […]
Continue readingTurtle doves: Hunting for a chance to survive
Danaë Sheehan, RSPB Migrants Programme Manager, writes… The Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius of North America was once regarded as the most abundant bird on the continent, if not the world. Yet despite this, and over a period of just forty years, unsuccessful breeding, coupled with mass human exploitation and disease, saw the population decline so […]
Continue readingTurtle doves – cpt rspb images
OTD TD25 – May 2012 (2)
What do we know about the effect of disease on turtle doves?
Stephanie Morren from the RSPB writes… What do we know about the effect of disease on turtle doves? Well the answer is, not a lot at the moment. We know a little about other potential problems facing turtle doves on their breeding grounds in Europe, their wintering grounds in Africa and their migration routes. But […]
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