They demand the inclusion of the quail in the Catalogue of Endangered Species
Scientists, ornithologists, environmentalists, and experts warn: continued hunting of the common quail is unsustainable. In fact, since 2020, when it was declared Bird of the Year, SEO/BirdLife has been requesting that the quail be listed as an endangered species.
Thus begins the petition that SEO/BirdLife is putting in the hands of the public to support the inclusion of the quail in the Catalogue of Endangered Species as a guarantee for the species' conservation.
The decline in the quail population is confirmed by census data. It is listed as Endangered in the SEO/BirdLife Red Book of Birds of Spain, which indicates that the common quail has experienced a 74% population decline over the last 20 years. And if the most recent available series of population data generated by the Sacre (Monitoring of Common Breeding Birds) program is taken into account, the species' long-term abundance index (2002-2023) would have decreased by around 49%.
"The species should be included in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species, as also proposed by the Scientific Committee of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge," notes Mario Giménez, head of the Conservation Area at SEO/BirdLife, adding: "Effective mechanisms must be put in place to guarantee the protection and recovery of the species. Furthermore, hunting must be eliminated to avoid additional mortality while the population declines."
The common quail, a species characteristic of cereal crops, was very common throughout the Mediterranean until a few decades ago. Hunting pressure, along with land consolidation, the use of treated seeds, herbicides and other chemicals, and other changes resulting from crop intensification have contributed to the decline of this species' populations. Furthermore, the growing popularity of hunting this species has led to the release of hundreds of thousands of captive-bred specimens. For practical reasons, due to their greater productivity and easier handling, these are hybrids with Japanese quail, which pose an additional risk due to genetic introgression and the resulting decrease in reproductive success when crossed with hybrid specimens.
SEO/BirdLife believes that the alarming situation is similar, in many respects, to that of the European turtle dove, which is classified as Vulnerable in the latest assessment of its conservation status carried out in the Red Book of Birds of Spain, based on a 37% population decline between 1998 and 2018 (a 35% decline if the most recent series is taken into account). In this case, the request for classification as an endangered species was also rejected by MITECO, but a moratorium on hunting the species was established in 2021, at the request of the European Commission, which has resulted in a slight increase in its population and the authorization of new turtle dove hunting quotas for the upcoming mid-season.
Recently, the European Commission announced that EU countries could reopen the hunting season for the turtle dove in parts of Western Europe, a decision that SEO/BirdLife believes could reverse recovery progress and once again endanger the species.
"Hunting has been shown to pose an additional threat to turtle doves, so this rapid return to captures could jeopardize the species' incipient recovery. There is also no guarantee that adequate control of captures will be carried out, nor do we have evidence that habitat management measures, which are also part of the adaptive hunting mechanism proposed by the administration, are being implemented," adds Mario Giménez, head of the Conservation Department at SEO/BirdLife. "Finally, it is important to note that many turtle doves from other European countries where the moratorium has not been lifted will be shot in Spain; this will negatively affect the entire population at the European level."
SEO/BirdLife insists on the need to apply objective, science-based criteria so that both species are urgently included in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species.
We believe that, in the meantime, it is necessary to establish a moratorium on hunting common quail, as well as maintain the moratorium on hunting European turtle doves in Spain, until a sustained recovery of their populations is guaranteed, sufficient to reverse their status as an endangered species and thus allow for the proper implementation of the adaptive hunting plans proposed by the European Commission.
We also urge the relevant authorities to strengthen the implementation of conservation measures, including rigorous monitoring of their populations, the implementation of actions aimed at improving key habitats for both species, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices.
SEO/BirdLife regrets that public administrations put the private interests of the hunting sector before the public interest of nature conservation. The NGO will continue working to ensure the conservation of the common quail and the European turtle dove, urging public authorities to make decisions based on science and effective nature conservation.
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