TAUPE - Dove Hunt

TAUPE
(Streptothelia turtur )

Phenology

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Taupe: Description

La Tortora it belongs to the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae, the same it includes Wood pigeon and Pigeon. There Tortora it differs from them for the small size (about 27 cm), for the slimmer and more elegant figure, and for the characteristic colors of the upper parts. The coverts of the wings and the back are reddish with a black center, the cox feathers have a black banner with a white terminal part, the legs and feet are bright red and the beak is dark with a yellow apex. The throat and the chest, in adults, are pale pink and there are two white spots with black stripes on the sides of the neck. Young specimens of Greyish Brown they do not have the spots on the sides of the neck and the chest is grayish. There Greyish Brown it has a fast and straight flight, in which frequent and nervous wing beats are noticed, more jerky than in the other Columbidae. La Tortora can be found isolated or in small groups.

Turtledove: Habitat and distribution range

La Greyish Brown it frequents open and bushy areas, in which there are wooded areas and uncultivated hedges, but it is also encountered in the riparian woods and in the woods of Roverella. Preferred environments for nesting the Greyish Brown they are associated with cultivated areas, which this species frequents to look for the seeds and grains it eats. In the Mediterranean regions the Tortora it nests up to 1300 m of altitude, in the lower parts of trees and bushes.

The nesting area of the Tortora it includes all of Europe, with the exception of Iceland, Ireland, Northern England and Scandinavia in the north, and reaches as far east as the Caspian Sea. Completely migratory species (unique Columbidae), the Tortora it winters south of the Sahara, both in the Sahel region and in the savannah belt between Senegal and Ethiopia. In the wintering areas, groups of turtle doves gather in the open savannah, where they find both grass seeds and fields cultivated with rice, corn or sorghum (Tucker & Heath, 1994). In Italy the Greyish Brown it is a regular migrant, breeder and irregular winter visitor; it nests throughout the national territory, with the exception of the Alpine areas.

Turtledove: Size and trend of populations

In Europe, about 2 million pairs of turtledoves breeding, more likely as many in Russian territory. The species is given a strong numerical decline throughout Europe. The Italian population of turtledoves, considered in regression, is made up of about 50.000-100.000 breeding pairs. In Lombardy the breeding population, also considered here in decline, is made up of 8000-17.000 pairs (Tucker & Heath, 1994; Vigorita et al. 2003a).

Tortora: Conservation and management

The causes of the decrease at European level of the Greyish Brown they are to be found in the increase in agricultural practices unfavorable to the species (Tucker & Heath, 1994). The destruction of the ecotone bands, the limited presence of hedges and the thinning of the riparian vegetation limit the sites suitable for nesting Greyish Brown, while the massive use of pesticides and herbicides used by modern agriculture reduces the possible food sources of Greyish Brown. As management measures, interventions that enrich the agricultural horizon with elements of diversity are desirable: hedges and bushes in Crataegus, rows, intact ecotone bands and groves. Furthermore, a reduction in the use of pesticides and herbicides is desirable.