Turtle doves face extinction as RSPB pleads for farming reform

TURTLE doves are on the brink of extinction in the UK because of farming practices, it has been claimed.

Numbers have plummeted by 71per cent in five years, leading the RSPB to call for an urgent “overhaul” of the current agricultural system as the UK leaves the EU and its subsidies.

Latest statistics from the environment department (Defra) revealed that birds living and breeding on the UK’S farmland saw numbers tumble by almost a tenth between 2010 and 2015.

Their populations have declined by 56per cent since 1970, largely due to agricultural changes including the loss of mixed farming, a switch to autumn sowing of crops, a reduction in hay meadows and the stripping out of hedgerows.

But while the majority of the decline happened in the late Seventies and Eighties as farming practices changed, there was a 9per cent decline between 2010 and 2015. The data showed some “specialist” species, those restricted to or highly dependent on farmland habitats, had seen precipitous falls.

The fall was most dramatic for turtle doves, a traditional symbol of love and fidelity, with numbers down 71per cent between 2010 and 2015.

The decline in UK numbers of the birds, which migrate from wintering grounds in Africa to breed in Europe, is mirrored across the continent and conservationists have warned the turtle dove is at risk of becoming extinct.

The sharp drop in numbers is thought to be down to a lack of seeds from arable plants, which has shortened their breeding season and led to fewer nesting attempts.

Jenna Hegarty, the RSPB’S head of land use policy, said: “Birdsong from some of our most iconic species once filled the air, but for many years the soundtrack of our countryside – from the song of the skylark to the purr of the turtle dove – has become quieter and quieter.

“Many farmers are doing great things, and without their efforts, today’s figures would undoubtedly be worse. But the current agriculture system doesn’t work for our farmers or our natural environment, something needs to change.

“Leaving the EU gives us a seminal opportunity to overhaul the system, and use public money to build a more sustainable future, reversing the dramatic declines in farmland wildlife and supporting resilient and thriving farm businesses into the future.”

Woodland birds have seen numbers remain relatively stable over the last five years, although they were down almost a quarter since 1970. Across all species, numbers were down around 8per cent on 1970, the figures show.