Capercaillie Conservation: Preventing Extinction in Scotland

The capercaillie faces potential extinction in Scotland with fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining, requiring urgent integrated conservation action.

Key Facts

Fewer than 1,000 capercaillie remain in Scotland, their only UK range
They require old Caledonian pinewood with diverse ground vegetation and blaeberry
Climate change has increased wet weather during chick-rearing, reducing survival
Deer fencing collisions cause significant mortality in areas with dense fence networks
Disturbance at lek sites can cause abandonment in this species sensitive to human approach

Welfare Considerations

Capercaillie welfare operates at the edge of population viability. Individual birds face welfare harms from fence collisions, predation by pine martens and foxes, and poor weather during the critical chick-rearing period. With so few individuals remaining, each death represents a significant proportion of the global Scottish population. Emergency conservation combining pinewood habitat management, fence removal or marking, predator management and visitor management directly improves individual welfare outcomes while preventing the irreversible loss of the species from Britain.

What You Can Do

Keep strict distances from capercaillie lek sites during April to June (minimum 300 metres)
Support Caledonian pinewood restoration programmes increasing available habitat
Advocate for deer fence removal or marking with visible deterrents in capercaillie range
Support conservation organisations working on emergency capercaillie recovery