Hunting Levels of Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) at Sites Where Food Is Provided: Implications for Sustainable Harvesting

Abstract

In some regions of Spain, hunting grounds conduct management targeting the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), a commonly hunted species, and unsustainable harvesting levels at these sites have been identified as one of the factors responsible for the species’ decline across its range. In hunting grounds where food was provided, we estimated the local turtle dove abundance before the hunting season, productivity (juvenile/adult ratio) and harvesting levels using harvest data from managed grounds over 4 years (2009, 2015, 2019 and 2020). Compared to previous research, a higher productivity value was found (median 1.67, range 1.24–4.15) in grounds providing more food for a longer period. We calculated that the harvesting rate should not exceed 37% of the estimated turtle dove population size (35–45%). Significant differences were found between the estimated local turtle dove abundance using a removal sampling protocol and the number of birds observed by hunters before the hunting season, which suggests that in a high proportion of grounds, the latter method may have led to bird overestimation and overharvesting. Our research supports the current European Union’s harvest management plan to promote sustainable hunting in grounds where targeted management is conducted.

Investigating the association between diet and infection with Trichomonas gallinae in the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur)

“…However, this is very difficult to assess in wild birds, unless the same birds are recaptured and tested on a regular basis, providing information on rate of recovery from infection and a history of prior infection. One aspect that the majority of studies of T. gallinae on wild birds have in common, the present study included, is that they are only able to provide a snapshot of the infection status of birds carrying T. gallinae (Forzan et al, 2010;Lawson et al, 2006;Marx et al, 2017;Sansano-Maestre et al, 2009;Thomas, 2017) As well as these potential behavioral explanations, it is possible that birds in better condition as a result of utilizing abundant cultivated food resources were more capable of fighting off infection, as associations have been shown between immune system functioning and body condition (Becker & Hall, 2014;Chandra, 1999;Møller et al, 1998). Previous dietary analysis on these data (Young, 2022) detected a positive correlation between body condition and the proportion of diet accounted for by cultivated seed.…”

“…Baiting is also used to attract game birds for hunting (Rocha & Quillfeldt, 2015). Turtle doves are widely hunted across much of mainland Europe and utilize bait which may be laid to attract them, or other game species (Rocha et al, 2022). Given the mounting evidence of disease transmission at supplemental feeding sites, as well as the association of T. gallinae with birds congregated at supplementary feed, this is an important consideration in plans to mitigate the decline of this species.…”

“…Trichomonosis has caused significant declines in the British population of greenfinches and chaffinches, resulting in the highest recorded impact of an infectious disease on a European wild bird population (Lawson et al, 2018). This parasite affects a wide range of avian orders, including Passeriformes, Columbiformes, and Falconiformes (Amin et al, 2014;Bunbury et al, 2008;Sansano-Maestre et al, 2009), with at least 23 strains of the parasite of varying virulence identified (Thomas et al, 2022). It infects one of the UK's most rapidly declining species, the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), and has been linked to both adult and nestling mortality in this species (Stockdale et al, 2015).…”