Capsule Although subject to human disturbance Turtle Doves do nest successfully in these olive and orange orchards. Aim To investigate the breeding ecology of Turtle Doves in a man‐made agricultural habitat in central Morocco. Methods Turtle Dove nests were monitored in orange and olive orchards over three years (2006, 2007 and 2008). Nest abundance, nest location, egg‐laying chronology, clutch size, nest survival rates and breeding success were determined and compared between orchard types. Results The Moroccan population of Turtle Doves start breeding earlier than European populations. Clutch size, nest survival rates and breeding success were similar in orange and olive orchards. Nest location differed between orange and olive trees. Nest densities were 16 nests/ha in olive orchards and 45 nests/ha in orange orchards. Nest success rate averaged 48%. Daily nest survival rates did not vary according to orchard types, year and date. In the two orchards, no nest position variables were significant predictors of nesting success. Conclusion Although highly frequented by people, fruit orchards seem to be suitable breeding habitats for Turtle Doves in this region.

Context: The intensification and expansion of human activities have caused profound changes in global wetlands and their associated aquatic bird communities. Understanding the mechanisms that drive the spatial assemblages of wetland birds is important for the development of effective conservation and management strategies. Objectives: The overall objective was to evaluate the influence of wetland features such as size and distance to the nearest coastline, and landscape composition, configuration, and function in shaping waterbird richness and abundance in 43 Tunisian Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). Methods: Systematic waterbird surveys on species abundance and richness at each IBA were carried out between December and January in 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. Satellite remote sensing indices were used to map wetlands and characterize the vegetation condition in the landscape surrounding them. Landscape metrics were used to describe the habitat configuration around the wetlands. Results: Our results show that landscape composition, configuration and function have significant effects on waterbirds (i.e., shorebirds, waterfowl, wading birds, and open-water birds). We found that wetland surface area and distance to the coast were important factors influencing the richness and abundance of waterbirds. Our results also indicate that landscape diversity is an important predictor of waterbird richness and abundance, and that there is a significant interaction between wetland surface area and distance to the nearest wetland in explaining the richness and abundance of waterbirds. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the richness and abundance of waterbirds are robustly dependent on the interaction between wetland surface area and distance to the nearest wetland. Furthermore, local wetland characteristics (wetland surface area and distance to the nearest coastline), landscape composition (forest area and urban area), landscape configuration (spatial heterogeneity), and landscape function (maximum and minimum NDVI), significantly affect wintering waterbird communities. This study also highlights the importance of large and connected wetlands in conserving various bird communities in Tunisian IBAs and provides recommendations for their conservation and sustainable management.

Seventy active turtle dove nests were found in the Tadla irrigated olive agro-ecosystem, 39 in olive orchards and 31 in olive hedgerows. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to determine the combined effects of olive age categories (class A < 10 years, class B 10–20 years and class C 21–30 years) and type of plantings (orchards and hedgerows) on nest placement within-tree. Results indicated that turtle doves' nests are placed higher up gradually as the trees are older. Nonetheless, the nest's relative vertical position in the canopy does not change from one age to another. Nest placement in the canopy was higher in hedgerows than in orchards. This game species exhibits adaptive behavioural plasticity in nest placement and appears well-adapted to olive grove conditions in this region. This high adaptability is beneficial to maintaining the species in these highly frequented man-made environments.