Streptopelia turtur

Although the species nests in a large part of Europe, it has almost disappeared from the British Isles and is threatened everywhere else. In particular, habitat modification and hunting on both nesting and wintering grounds. The general decline of the species has recently triggered a number of telemetric population studies, notably in the UK and France.

We now know that France lies on the western migration corridor for West European turtle doves, which winter in West Africa. Individuals sometimes make long sea crossings, in the Channel or across the Bay of Biscay, but their flight altitudes on these routes are unknown.

To determine their behavior and precise migratory routes, turtle doves are captured using vertical nets on their breeding territories. They are fitted with OT6 GPS beacons which transmit the data collected via 3G, and must remain in place for at least one full cycle to obtain round-trip migration paths.