Turtle dove hunting in Cyprus ends on 20 September, season quota set at 15,756 birds

The turtle dove hunting season in Cyprus closes on Sunday, 20 September, at sunset. Hunting must stop regardless of whether the national quota for the season has been reached by that time, the Game and Fauna Service said.

The quota for this season is 15,756 birds for the whole country. Separate limits apply to each hunter: no more than 6 turtle doves per outing and no more than 12 per season. Every bird taken must be registered immediately in the Artemis Cy app, based on which the department monitors how many birds have already been taken.

The season opened on 2 September and lasted less than three weeks. These time limits are required under EU rules: the European turtle dove is among the species whose numbers are declining, so hunting it is restricted both in terms of timing and the number of birds.

Hunters are unhappy with the closing date. According to them, large flocks of turtle doves have crossed the island only now, meaning that the peak of the migration will fall on days when hunting will already be prohibited.

Quail hunting continues: the season runs from 23 August to 27 December 2026, with a limit of 8 birds per hunter per day and a national quota of 66,120 birds.