Turtle dove hunting ban boosts western European population by 40%

Turtle doves are under threat (RSPB/Ben Andrew/PA) -

Numbers of threatened turtle doves in western Europe have rapidly recovered after a hunting ban was introduced in 2021, conservationists said.

Numbers in the region increased by 40% to 610,000 breeding pairs from 2021 to 2024, according to Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Data Scheme figures released on Friday.