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conservation: Saving the Turtle Dove - How Volunteers Are Rebuilding a Fragile Species

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5 December 2025 
By James Hamilton

Turtle Dove by Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

​Turtle Doves, the delicate orangey-brown birds made famous in The Twelve Days of Christmas, are among the most threatened species in the UK. Their soft “turr-turr” song is now only heard in small pockets of southern and eastern England.

This year, hope has arrived with a record 112 dedicated volunteers, a nine percent increase from last year, working to protect and restore these iconic birds.

A Species in Crisis
Turtle Doves have suffered a catastrophic decline. Between 1995 and 2023, their numbers fell by 98 percent. They are the UK’s only migratory dove, spending winters in West Africa before returning in spring and summer to breed.

​Hunting in parts of Europe worsened their decline, but bans in France, Spain, and Portugal over the last four years have helped western European populations recover by more than 30 percent.

In the UK, the challenge remains urgent. Only 2,100 Turtle Dove breeding territories survive, making every conservation effort critical.

Operation Turtle Dove: Volunteers Making a Difference
Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership between the RSPB, Natural England, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, and Fair to Nature. Volunteers work with farmers, landowners, and conservation advisors to create and maintain nesting and feeding habitats while monitoring populations across southern and eastern England.

This year, volunteers set up trail cameras across 78 sites, recording Turtle Doves at 23 locations. The cameras also captured 28 other bird species including Corn Bunting, Greenfinch, Linnet, Yellowhammer, and Stock Dove. This shows that helping Turtle Doves benefits a whole spectrum of farmland birds and confirms that farmers’ conservation efforts have wide-reaching value.

James Clissold, a volunteer, said It is hugely motivating to know we can help these beautiful birds My teenage son volunteers with me and it has been fantastic to share this project Everyone involved really believes in what they are doing and it feels like a huge privilege to be part of it

​Hope for the Future
The dedication of volunteers and communities is fueling optimism. Rick Bayne, Senior Project Manager for Operation Turtle Dove, said The ambition of the communities and landowners we work with to save these iconic birds is nothing short of amazing If we keep this momentum we can expect Turtle

Dove numbers to start rising across the UK
Looking ahead, the next National Turtle Dove Survey in 2027 will measure the success of these efforts. Ten years ago, the outlook for Turtle Doves was bleak but through collaboration, focus, and persistence, volunteers, farmers, and conservationists are creating a brighter future for this beloved species.

It takes a team to help nature recover. The RSPB has launched a winter appeal to fund year-round Turtle Dove conservation work Donate here.
More than 13,000 people volunteer for the RSPB, helping protect Turtle Doves and countless other species. Find out how to get involved RSPB Volunteering
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Together we can ensure Turtle Doves are not just a Christmas song but remain a living part of the UK countryside.

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