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Monitoring turtle doves, Streptopelia decaocto
Monitoring populations trend

European Turtle Doves (Streptopelia turtur turtur) have markedly declined over Western Europe (up to 70% since 1995 in the UK). Agricultural intensification on the breeding grounds is suspected to be the main driver of this trend, through a shortening of the breeding season and a sharp decrease in productivity. On another hand this migrant species winters in the sub-sahelian area where it spends two-thirds of its annual cycle, and recent works suggest that habitat quality and food resources on wintering area may have also significant impact on individual fitness.

The abundance of breeding Turtle Doves in France is monitored using the framework of a bird monitoring programme, the ACT Survey. This survey is designed to monitor bird abundance in France using a point count method.

 

To achieve this goal, the country is divided into 28 x 20 km grid cells. Each grid cell includes a 4-km route which was randomly selected and fixed thereafter. Each route includes five point counts spaced 1 km apart from each other. Since 1996, the number of singing males on each route is surveyed annually by the same 800 observers, who visit routes twice a breeding season: from 1 to 30 April and from 15 May to 15 June. Point counts (each lasting 10 min) are surveyed within the 2 h of sunset. 

Over the 1996-2013 period, the spring abundance of singing males has declined by 26%.

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