The European Turtle Dove in the ecotone between woodland and farmland: multi-scale habitat associations and implications for the design of management interventions

Abstract

The European Turtle Dove (turtle dove) is globally threatened after undergoing a sustained and generalised decline across its breeding range, with habitat loss suggested as the main driver. Here, we reviewed the scientific literature on habitat associations across its European breeding range, in relation to distribution, breeding numbers, nesting substrates, food and foraging habitats, to identify optimal habitat management measures. Large-scale distribution seemed related to the availability, but not dominance, of woodland landscapes; abundance was generally higher in woodland than on farmland. However, abundance in woodland increased with additional structural diversity and proximity to farmland, and abundance on farmland increased with greater availability of non-farmland features. Nesting occurred most frequently on trees (secondarily on bushes) but we found geographical differences in the type of nesting substrate, with thorny bushes being used more frequently in the north, and open canopy trees in the south. Turtle doves fed on a wide spectrum of seeds with a predominance of wild, particularly early-flowering, plants; but we could not identify a single plant species whose abundance determined turtle dove numbers. Across the distribution range, a shift from wild to cultivated seeds occurred as the season progressed. However, interventions should favour the availability and access to wild seeds. Efficient management interventions depend on the dominant habitat; overall, interventions should seek to augment landscape heterogeneity by increasing the mixing of farmland and woodland. Combined forestry and agricultural policies must provide the right conditions for ecotone species like the Turtle dove.