The gentle purr of the turtle dove was once the sound of summer in the UK, enjoyed for a few brief months from early May until the birds’ departure back to Africa in August. But their evocative call is becoming increasingly rare following rapid and perpetual population declines.

Turtle doves were once widespread across much of England and Wales, but the most recent figures show that the population in the south east, one of the last remaining strongholds, has fallen by 84 per cent since 1995. Nationally turtle doves have declined by 93 per cent since 1970.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said that “at this current rate of change, if we don’t help this species, scientists calculate there will be fewer than 1000 pairs by 2020, and complete UK extinction as a breeding species will be a real possibility.”

To help reverse the fortunes of the turtle dove, conservationists embarked on an urgent mission to save the UK’s most threatened farmland bird from extinction.

Operation Turtle Dove was launched last summer by the RSPB, Conservation Grade, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Natural England.

Now in its second year, the project partners want to remind members of the public in the UK to report their sightings of turtle doves to a special hotline.

Last year, the hotline had over 425 calls reporting the elusive bird, which has helped map where the birds are breeding and highlight any hotspots to focus the project’s conservation efforts.

Bruce Fowkes, RSPB South East farmland bird advisor, said, “It’s great that so many people are looking out for these birds and supported ‘Operation Turtle Dove’ last year.

“Turtle doves are truly struggling and we are facing the very real possibility of losing this beautiful bird from the UK within the next 10 years.

“So we’re hoping for more reports this year and are appealing to anyone who spots a turtle dove to call and give us as much information as possible.”

The RSPB said that the reasons for the turtle dove’s population crash are not fully understood. However, since the 1960s their diet has changed from mainly the small seeds of wild plants, which are now scarce in our countryside, to one dominated mainly by crop seeds.

These seeds are often in short supply early in the breeding season, and this lack of food during a crucial period could be resulting in a much shorter breeding season with fewer nesting attempts.

Other factors that may be contributing to the decline of the turtle dove includes hunting in the Mediterranean as the species makes its annual migration, agricultural changes in the African wintering grounds and the avian disease trichomoniasis which is common in pigeons and doves.

In Malta, the Ornis Committee earlier this year recommened that the spring hunting season should open for three weeks between the 10th and 30th of April 2013, the season included the hunting of turtle doves.

The Government then published a Legal Notice declaring the opening of a Spring Hunting Season in 2013 for Turtle Dove and Quail between the 10th April 2013 and 30th April 2013, both dates included.

The national hunting bag limit for the spring season was established at 11,000 turtle doves and 5,000 Quail.

Many protests were made through the season by NGOs and other entities, with allegations of illegal hunting among other things.

Italian MEP Andrea Zanoni said earlier this week in the European Parliament, “that Malta has authorised Spring hunting on the basis of a derogation but the bag limit was reached in the first hours, not the first days of the season.”

Mr Zanoni said “this European Member State is taking Europe for a ride. Political parties promised everything during their campaigns for the recent general election including hunting. However, hunters in Malta shoot at everything that moves.”

The MEP’s statement was refuted by both the Federation for Hunting and Conservation Malta (FKNK) and St. Hubert Hunters Malta (KSU).

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