Curlew Conservation and Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

The curlew is the UK's most threatened wading bird, with breeding populations declining catastrophically from upland and lowland habitats.

Key Facts

UK curlew numbers declined from 62,000 pairs in 1995 to approximately 58,000 pairs by 2020 with steep ongoing declines
Breeding success is critically low with predation of eggs and chicks the primary proximate cause
Upland drainage and moorland management changes reduce habitat quality for curlew
The Species Recovery Programme coordinates conservation across multiple sites
Curlews return to the same breeding territories annually, creating strong site fidelity

Welfare Considerations

Individual curlew welfare is affected by nest predation causing acute loss of a breeding attempt after weeks of incubation, chick predation, and food shortage in degraded habitats. Adults returning to breeding territories after a 5,000km migration to find unsuitable conditions experience breeding failure affecting fitness and survival. Conservation management providing predator management, habitat restoration, and supplementary feeding at key sites directly benefits individual curlew welfare by enabling breeding success. Head-starting (releasing captive-reared chicks) is a last-resort tool for critically small populations.

What You Can Do

Support Curlew Country and RSPB curlew recovery programmes
Advocate for upland land management that maintains suitable curlew habitat
Report curlew sightings to local ornithological societies
Donate to organisations funding curlew conservation and research