European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) in Apulia: preliminary estimate of the breeding population abundance

The European Turtle Dove (TD, Streptopelia turtur) is a bird with Euro-Central Asian and Mediterranean corology, characterized by four subspecies distributed in an area of about 10 million km2 across Eurasia and North Africa. In Italy, the TD is a regular migratory species widely distributed, except for the Alps and the highest peaks of the Apennines; its presence is lower in the Eastern part of the Po plain, in the Lower Tyrrhenian coast and in the central-southern areas of Apulia, probably due to the reduced presence and extension of woods and hedges. TD arrives in Apulia in Spring to nest. According to BirdLife International (2017), TD is classified as SPEC 1 being in an unfavourable state of conservation. Recently, action plans have been implemented to improve its conservation, in balance with sustainable hunting, allowed in September. So far, limited information is available on the TD’s abundance in each Italian region; therefore, this study aimed at providing preliminary information on the distribution and abundance of the TD in Apulia. The methodology adopted for the Farmland Bird Index (FBI) project was further intensified to obtain a more homogeneous coverage of the sampling points; for this purpose, in addition to the 34 UTM squares monitored within the FBI project, other 17 grid squares of 10 km of length were analysed. The count technique used for the FBI project is based on listening points without limits of distance lasting 10 minutes. The counts were carried out during May 15th-June 15th, starting shortly after dawn until 12:00, visiting each station only once. During 2023, 59 specimens of TD were recorded in 39 listening points. Only in one cell a maximum of 6 TDs were observed; followed by 4 birds in another point of survey, 3 specimens observed in 2 cells and 2 observed in 8 cells. When a single bird was observed, it was considered as part of a pair, while a pair number of birds was divided by two; in case of sightings of 3 individuals, they were considered as 2 pairs. The total estimate of the registered pairs resulted between 41 and 59. The estimated density for TD in Apulia was 0.64/km2, while that of pairs is 0.44-0.64/km2. When the estimated census area was compared to the total area of the region, without islands, an abundance of TD was estimated at about 12,333, with a minimum number of pairs ranging from 8,570 to 12,333. These results are similar to those found in Tuscany, unique Italian region in which TD abundance was detected. Research founded by an agreement between DiSSPA (Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences) of the University of Bari and Osservatorio Faunistico Regionale of Apulia Region.