Lapwings have declined by 80% in the UK since the 1970s and remain one of our most conservation-critical farmland birds. Their welfare depends on maintaining both wet grassland and arable nesting habitat.
Lapwing chicks require soft, moist soil to access earthworms and other invertebrates in their first weeks. Fields that have been drained, compacted or heavily fertilised support fewer invertebrates, causing chick starvation even when nesting succeeds. Adults that cannot establish territories in suitable habitat invest significant energy in defending marginal sites with lower breeding success. Predation pressure from corvids, foxes and mustelids is higher in fragmented habitats where lapwings cannot benefit from colony vigilance. The combination of habitat loss and predation means that many lapwing pairs now experience repeated breeding failure across multiple seasons.