Searching for the causes of decline in the Dutch population of turtle doves Streptopelia turtur

European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur have experienced a sharp decline in population numbers over past decades. Much uncertainty exists about the main cause or causes. Several pressures have been suggested, but because they affect different stages of the life cycle of the Turtle Dove, it is difficult to compare their contributions to population decline. Here we applied a full life cycle approach to study how different pressures may have resulted in the decline. This was achieved by combining a review of existing literature on possible threats, pressures, and the vital rates they concerned, with the analysis of an age-structured matrix model. The population model was parameterized using estimates from a mark-recapture analysis and supplemented with vital rate estimates from the literature. Comparison with a Life Table Response Experiment (LTRE) was used to determine whether the Turtle Dove literature focusses on those vital rates in which the most important changes have taken place o...