Return of the Sustainable Farming Incentive
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will be opening again from June 2026 and will provide financial payments that will help farmers to provide vital habitats for Turtle Doves. We've provided a breakdown of the actions that can be used to help us get 'Turtle Dove Ready'. Click below for more details...
Helping Turtle Doves - A Family of Volunteers
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who volunteers for Operation Turtle Dove – their dedication and passion help us to achieve more. So, it’s always heartening to hear from those who so generously give their time about the difference it makes to their lives too. Click below to find out why volunteers are so important to our work...
Cultivated Margins: Learning from Experience in the Field
Beth Metson from Hedgelife writes a guest blog following a recent successful farm walk exploring the use of cultivated margins to provide foraging habitat for Turtle Doves.
Our view on the release of captive-bred Turtle Doves
The conservation and recovery of threatened species is rewarding, demanding and always complex. Using our evidence-based approach to understand what the limiting factors for Turtle Doves are, we have tested solutions, and continue to consider how these should be best implemented. We do not currently support the release of captive-bred Turtle Doves as a conservation measure. Click below to find out why...
You can play a part in their recovery by providing more of the right habitat and help get the UK get ‘Turtle Dove Ready’!
Between the late 1960s and 2021, Turtle Doves declined dramatically in the UK and reduced almost everywhere else in their European range.
However, following the introduction of an adaptive hunting management system in western Europe and an end to unsustainable hunting, there has been a rapid and encouraging start to population recovery. As expected, this has initially been in the core breeding population in Spain, and we expect this to ripple out in future years to reach the UK in the near future. We now know the remaining key barrier to the sustained recovery of Turtle Doves breeding in the UK is the availability of foraging and breeding habitat. We know what conservation action needs to be taken, and we’re optimistic that we can reverse the fortunes of this enigmatic and culturally significant bird.
Blog: Turtle Dove Talk
read more
How can I help Turtle Doves on my land?
Providing habitat is a vital component of Turtle Dove conservation. If you farm or manage land, there are a number of ways in which you can help support the species and benefit your rural business while doing so. Options can include:
How can I help Turtle Doves at home?
Decisions you make in the garden or the supermarket can help Turtle Doves in a variety of ways:
How to see a Turtle Dove
Turtle Doves are in the UK – predominantly the east and south east of England -from April to September every year. Here are some ways you can get involved:
Ways you can help
Create habitat
You can provide Turtle Doves with habitat they need on your farm or in your garden
Log a sighting
Seen a Turtle Dove? Log your sighting on BirdTrack
Donate
Your donation will help us to save this iconic bird from extinction in the UK
