Conservationists have released more than two dozen turtle doves in the South Downs National Park in an effort to help the species, which is on the brink of extinction in the UK, recover. The dove, known for its role in the Twelve Days of Christmas song, is the country's fastest declining bird species according to the RSPB. The national park authority released 30 birds in the Selborne area of Hampshire this spring as part of 'urgent efforts' to restore the species. A further 100 doves are being prepared for another release next year.

Park ranger Paul Bushell explained that the birds are now 'one of the fastest-declining bird species in Europe', with numbers plummeting by 98% in the UK between the late 1960s and 2023. The turtle dove is currently on the Birds of Conservation Concern's red list, placing it at high risk of extinction in the UK. 'There are still small numbers of turtle doves living in the national park and we hope that careful releases like this can help create a new and much-needed South Downs stronghold,' Bushell said.

Alongside their release, the authority has planted suitable plants for the birds to feed on, including 'weedy' wildflowers like fumitory and vetch. Seven ponds for drinking and bathing have also been restored near nesting sites in the hope that the birds, which are Europe's only migratory dove species, return next year. Bushell noted that the 30 turtle doves released in the park during the spring 'seem really happy'.

'Interestingly, one of the females has come back into the enclosure to lay some eggs, which is incredibly encouraging,' he said. 'They really are a spectacularly beautiful bird and the males produce the most enchanting churring sound during the breeding season. It is such an incredible and moving experience to see and hear the birds back in the landscape where they belong.'

Over autumn, the birds are expected to fly 3,000 miles (4,800km) to their overwintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa, before hopefully returning to the South Downs in Spring 2027. The release is part of a broader strategy to support the turtle dove's survival, combining habitat restoration with direct intervention to bolster population numbers.