Turtle dove hunting season closed after bag limit reached

Malta's autumn turtle dove hunting has been closed after hunters reached the 500-bird cap.

In an official notice issued under the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations, they said that "the overall seasonal bag limit for the Turtle Dove has been reached and that, with immediate effect, the hunting season for the Turtle Dove is closed."

They said the Environment Minister Miriam Dalli and Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri announced the closure on Monday after hunters reached the national bag limit of 500 birds.

The season had run for only two weeks, opening on 1 September, and was originally due to continue until 30 September. The turtle dove is the only huntable species in Malta subject to an autumn seasonal quota, with hunting permitted only in September.

The 500-bird cap was introduced in 2021 after the European Commission instructed member states on the turtle dove's central-eastern flyway to either ban hunting outright or halve their quotas. The autumn limit was cut from 7,000 birds.

The turtle dove is classified as vulnerable. Other huntable species, including quail, may continue to be shot through the wider season, which runs until 31 January.

Anyone found shooting turtle doves from now on will be hunting illegally.