Turtle Doves in decline across the UK

The Turtle Dove is currently one of the UK’s most threatened birds.

Their decline is due to the changes in farming methods that have reduced the number of wild plants growing in crops. The problem for the Turtle Dove is that they feed on the seeds of these plants.

Simon Tonkin, of the RSPB, says:

The answer, according to Conservation Grade, a green farming group, is for farmers to provide plots of wild plants (otherwise known as weeds) as Turtle Dove "cafes" where they can stoke up with a good feed.

But what to put on the menu? Nobody knows what Turtle Doves prefer - or what kind of seeds keep them healthiest.

So scientists at the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust in Norfolk, where they have captive Turtle Doves, are going to find out by trying out different mixtures of seeds on their birds to help kick start the species' conservation.