What challenges do turtle doves face during their migration?
Turtle doves face several significant challenges during their migration:
- Long-distance travel: Turtle doves undertake an arduous journey of approximately 4,000 miles between their breeding grounds in Europe and wintering areas in sub-Saharan West Africa. This long-distance migration requires tremendous energy and endurance.
- Hunting pressure: One of the most severe threats to turtle doves is unsustainable hunting along their migration route. Until recently, about one million turtle doves were legally hunted each autumn in France, Spain, and Portugal alone. This level of hunting was preventing the recovery of the Western European breeding population.
- Illegal killing: In addition to legal hunting, turtle doves face the threat of illegal shooting, particularly in the Mediterranean region. For example, in Greece, an estimated 70,000 turtle doves are illegally slaughtered each spring as they stop to rest on the Ionian Islands.
- Habitat loss: The changing landscape in both breeding and wintering grounds poses a significant challenge. In Africa, important wetlands are being drained, and Sahelian scrub is being removed for intensive agriculture, reducing suitable habitats for the doves.
- Food shortages: Intensive farming practices and the use of pesticides and herbicides have reduced the abundance of seeds, which are the primary food source for turtle doves. This shortage affects their ability to regain fitness after migration and impacts their breeding success.
- Disease: Turtle doves are susceptible to diseases such as Trichomoniasis, which can be exacerbated by food stress and interaction with other bird species like pheasants.
- Exhaustion and predation: Flying mostly at night, turtle doves can cover up to 700km without stopping. This intense effort leaves them vulnerable to exhaustion and potentially more susceptible to predation when they do stop to rest.
These challenges have contributed to a dramatic decline in turtle dove populations, with some countries witnessing staggering declines of over 90% since 1994. Conservation efforts are now focused on addressing these issues, particularly by improving breeding habitats and regulating hunting to more sustainable levels.
