Turtle Dove

Very pretty bird when you see it up close, lovely pinks and orange colours. This one is injured sadly - it seems to have a broken wing and can't fly. You can see the feathers are damaged, so it is likely to have the small pellets from the gun cartridge inside somewhere. It is likely to get euthanized, though it depends on the level of damage - we will take it to the vet to find out.

This is one of the two species of bird that are legally allowed to be shot here during the Spring hunting season in Malta. But the European population is in massive decline, so this is one of the many reasons we are campaigning to stop spring hunting.