The increase provides hope for the future of the birds, currently on the red list of threatened species in the UK.
A hunting ban introduced in 2021 led to a 40% increase in the western European turtle dove population, reaching 610,000 breeding pairs by 2024. Prior to the ban, one million turtle doves were hunted annually in France, Spain, and Portugal. Conservation efforts, including habitat restoration in the UK, are ongoing to support the birds' breeding success.
