Turtle doves released in South Downs in bid to stop extinction
Conservationists have released more than two dozen turtle doves in the South Downs National Park in a bid to help the species, which is on the brink of extinction in the UK, to recover.
The dove, famous for its place in the Twelve Days of Christmas song, is the country’s fastest declining bird species according to the RSPB.
In an attempt to boost population numbers, the national park authority released 30 birds in the Selborne area of Hampshire this spring.
The authority said the plan was part of “urgent efforts” to restore the species, with a further 100 doves being prepared for another release next year.
“We all know the turtle dove from the festive carol, but the truth is they are now far too rare for such a Christmas gift,” park ranger Paul Bushell said.
He explained the birds were now “one of the fastest-declining bird species in Europe”, with numbers plummeting by 98% in the UK between the late 1960s and 2023.
