Guest blog by Dr Jenny Dunn, Conservation Scientist, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science
A paper, 'Post-fledging habitat selection in a rapidly declining farmland bird, the European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur' published 20th April 2016 in the journal Bird Conservation International, describes the results of work carried out by a team of RSPB scientists to discover what happens to turtle doves once they leave the nest.
UK population of Turtle dove declined by 97% since 1970The turtle dove is Britain’s fastest declining breeding bird, and we have lost 97% of the UK population since 1970.
One of the major drivers of the turtle dove population decline in the UK is a reduction in the number of breeding attempts per pair, but next to nothing is known about what happens to chicks once they leave the nest.
Fitting turtle dove nestlings with radio tagsThe team attached small radiotags to the legs of 15 turtle dove chicks in eight nests, weighed them, and followed them for the next 35 days to find out how many survived and where they went after they had left the nest.
Turtle dove nestling named Adder.
Adder, one of the chicks tagged during this study. Adder fledged successfully and was last seen foraging in a farmyard 1 km from his nest, and near the new nest of his radiotagged parent. Photo Alex Ball
Eleven chicks successfully fledged from their nests. The remaining four were found dead very close to their nests, suggesting that these chicks had been predated around the time they were attempting to fledge.
Four more birds were found dead over the next 10 days: all four are likely to have been killed by mammalian predators as their remains were found underneath dense vegetation and feathers appeared chewed.
Chicks require seed rich habitatsDuring the first three weeks, the chicks made frequent short forays of, on average, 127m from the nest area, selecting habitats naturally rich in small seeds that, historically, formed a major component of turtle dove diet.
In our study area, seed-rich habitats included semi-natural grassland, quarries, fallow areas and areas of low-intensity grazing – mostly horses, with the occasional alpaca – that allow wild flowers and grasses to flower and seed. However, the birds still returned to the area near their nests, spending around 50% of their time within 20m of their nest.
Pegasus and Unicorn, two of the nestlings tracked during this study, photographed two weeks after they were tagged, still in the vicinity of their nest. Photo Jenny Dunn
Chicks disperse and begin migrationsAfter the first three weeks, the chicks dispersed from their nest area and were often found in flocks with other doves and pigeons. At this point, some even started to migrate: one chick was relocated 6 km from its nest site 30 days after tagging.
Heavier chicks had better chance of survival The researchers also looked at whether the weight of chicks at seven days old had any relationship to whether they survived, as well as whether habitat had any effect on their weight. Heavier chicks had a better chance of survival, and those with more seed-rich habitat near their nest were heavier at 7 days old, suggesting their parents were better able to find them sufficient food.
Chicks that were heavier when weighed at 7 days old had a better chance of survival. Photo Jenny Dunn
Practical application of the study results into the Countryside Stewardship SchemeThe results of this work have led to management recommendations for turtle doves in the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme, outlining the importance of maintaining or creating areas of seed-rich plants close to tall, dense vegetation that provides shelter and nesting habitat This combination is key in increasing the survival prospects of less mobile youngsters.
Planting areas of seed-rich plants close to good nesting habitat such as this can increase the survival prospects of young turtle doves. Photo Tony Morris
Find out more about our work on turtles doves through Operation Turtle Dove.