Hunting Levels of Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) at Sites Where Food Is Provided: Implications for Sustainable Harvesting
2022
Gregorio Rocha | Emilio Jorge Tizado | Carlos Sánchez-García
In some regions of Spain, hunting grounds conduct management targeting the European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), a commonly hunted species, and unsustainable harvesting levels at these sites have been identified as one of the factors responsible for the species&rsquo: decline across its range. In hunting grounds where food was provided, we estimated the local turtle dove abundance before the hunting season, productivity (juvenile/adult ratio) and harvesting levels using harvest data from managed grounds over 4 years (2009, 2015, 2019 and 2020). Compared to previous research, a higher productivity value was found (median 1.67, range 1.24&ndash:4.15) in grounds providing more food for a longer period. We calculated that the harvesting rate should not exceed 37% of the estimated turtle dove population size (35&ndash:45%). Significant differences were found between the estimated local turtle dove abundance using a removal sampling protocol and the number of birds observed by hunters before the hunting season, which suggests that in a high proportion of grounds, the latter method may have led to bird overestimation and overharvesting. Our research supports the current European Union&rsquo:s harvest management plan to promote sustainable hunting in grounds where targeted management is conducted.
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