Tazerbo – Saleh Bourziga, Director General of the Al-Hayat Organization for the Protection of Wildlife and Marine Life, confirmed that the European Turtle Dove is a migratory bird that comes to Libya to breed. It is distinguished by its smaller size compared to a regular pigeon, a distinctive black and white patch on the sides of its neck, in addition to shorter wings and a longer tail.
In a statement to the Libyan News Agency, Bourziga noted that the European Turtle Dove is considered a globally threatened species due to overhunting during the breeding season. He explained that birds, in general, play a vital role in the ecosystem, as they contribute to transporting seeds from dry environments to wet areas, which enhances biodiversity and increases vegetation cover.
He added that the European Turtle Dove usually arrives in North Africa in March of each year and migrates in September towards sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, some individuals nest in the Green Mountain (Jabal al-Akhdar) while others continue their migration towards Europe. It feeds exclusively on seeds such as wheat, barley, corn, and sunflower, in addition to the seeds of wild plants.
Bourziga pointed out that Libya loses approximately 500,000 migratory birds of various species annually, with the European Turtle Dove accounting for the largest share. He noted that intensive hunting used to take place in coastal and semi-desert areas, where sometimes up to 500 birds were hunted at a single point during the season. With its numbers declining, hunters have moved to Tazerbo, the oases, and the Great Sand Sea, which has increased the pressure on this species and altered some of its migration routes.
He noted that the increase in commercial demand for this bird over the past three years has contributed to the exacerbation of hunting, which explains the inclusion of the European Turtle Dove among the globally threatened species on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).