The European turtle dove population is already declining, but its numbers could get a lot worse with hunting season in Malta around the corner.

Maltese hunters are permitted to shoot 5000 of the doves between April 17 and April 30, despite warnings from the International Union for Conservation of Nature that the bird is on the red list of animals that are threatened.

According to the nature union, the bird's population size in Europe is estimated to be decreasing at a rate of 30% to 49% every three generations. Other studies have shown that in the UK specifically, the population has decreased 93% since 1970, and scientists have warned that turtle doves may be lost as a UK breeding bird by 2021.

Turtle doves are known for forming strong pair bonds and for having soft, melodic voices, making them popular symbols representing love in songs, poems and bible references. When the nature union upgraded the bird's status from "least concern" to "vulnerable," animal rights groups reacted with petitions and websites.

In a news release, the Maltese government said it had taken into consideration the declining population of doves when it set the limit. The government did slash the maximum number of doves for hunting from 11000 to 5000 in response to a "scientific assessment," the news release said. It also shortened hunting from five months to one month during the autumn hunting season, which is slated to start next September. Furthermore, there will be special time limits imposed upon those who are hunting turtle doves and quails, the latter of which are also a vulnerable bird population.

"The limited spring hunting season will be subject to stringent enforcement, and any non-compliance with applicable conditions and regulations will not be tolerated," the news release said.

Still, some bird advocates feel that even a limited hunting season will be perilous for the turtle dove.

“The government has taken the wrong political decision,” said Mark Sultana, chief executive of Birdlife Malta, in an interview with the Guardian. “Rather than giving weight to the scientific data they opted to open a season with limitations. We do not believe that there is enough will and resources to ensure those limitations will be kept.”

Others accused the government of playing politics at the expense of the birds' future survival.

"The science shows that the turtle dove is in serious decline," said Eduardo Gonçalves, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, in a statement to the Guardian<. "But instead of listening to the science, the Maltese government has bowed to a vociferous hunting lobby."

Malta, which is the only country in the EU that permits spring hunting for doves and quail, came close to passing a spring hunting ban last year, but it ultimately failed to get the majority of votes needed for approval.