Govind Tekale
For most people today, the only turtle doves they'll ever hear are in the Christmas song. But in the 1970s, the UK had approximately 125,000 breeding pairs. By 2021, that population had crashed to just 2,092 territories. The latest official data show a 98% decline in the UK turtle dove population over the long-term Breeding Bird Survey period. Now, conservationists are attempting something bold: bringing them back.
This spring, the South Downs National Park released 30 captive-bred turtle doves near Selborne, Hampshire. The location wasn't random. This small village was the home of Gilbert White, an 18th-century naturalist who wrote extensively about the abundant turtle doves he observed. Nearly 250 years later, the project aims to restore what was lost.
The statistics tell the story of a devastating collapse. In the 1970s, the UK had around 125,000 breeding pairs. The 2021 population estimate put the UK total at 2,092 territories. The decline happened quietly, without the public attention given to more famous species. Changes in agricultural land management have reduced some of the wild plants and habitats turtle doves use for feeding and nesting. Hedgerows disappeared. The landscape changed, and the birds couldn't adapt.
What makes the South Downs trial different is that it's based on real evidence that recovery is possible. On the migration route these birds follow from Britain to sub-Saharan Africa, population monitoring has recorded a 40.5% increase along the Western European Flyway since the 2021 low, during the period when hunting restrictions were in place. The message is that populations can respond positively when conservation measures reduce some of the pressures affecting them.
The 30 released birds weren't just turned loose. The project included restoring seven ponds and planting native seeds throughout the release area. Researchers fitted the birds with radio tags and color bands to track what happens. Remarkably, at least one released female has laid eggs, providing an early indication that released birds can reproduce in the wild.
The next test comes in winter. These birds will attempt a migration of roughly 3,000 miles to Africa. If they make it and return next spring, it would provide an important test of the project's approach. Many released birds may not survive migration. But those that do will have completed a genuine test of whether intensive conservation can reverse this decline.
A hundred more birds are planned for release in spring 2027. This isn't a quick fix. Recovery, if it happens, will take years. The South Downs project shows that success requires more than just releasing birds. It requires understanding what the birds need—food sources, nesting habitat, safe passage—and creating landscapes where those needs exist again.
