Curlew Welfare: Upland Moorland Breeding and Predation Pressure

Curlews are one of Europe's most urgent conservation priorities. Their welfare on upland breeding grounds is threatened by predation, land management changes and the slow collapse of populations.

Key Facts

UK curlew populations have declined by 48% since the 1990s and the species is now red-listed
Curlews are ground-nesting birds that place nests in tussocky grass on heather moorland and rough grassland
Corvid and fox predation of eggs and chicks is the most significant immediate cause of breeding failure
Upland land management changes including drainage, overgrazing and afforestation have reduced suitable habitat
The RSPB and curlew recovery programmes are trialling nest protection cages and predator management

Welfare Considerations

Curlew chicks that survive hatching face immediate predation pressure from corvids, foxes and mustelids during their flightless ground-dwelling period of 5-6 weeks. Adults that invest the full incubation period of 28 days only to lose chicks shortly after hatching suffer the welfare cost of significant wasted reproductive effort. The long-term genetic consequences of repeated population decline mean that curlew populations in some areas are now demographically trapped in decline with insufficient annual breeding success to replace adult mortality. The emotional complexity of curlew conservation involves acknowledging that the welfare of individual predators that prey on curlews creates genuine ethical tensions.

What You Can Do

Support curlew recovery programme nest protection and monitoring schemes
Engage with upland land management decisions that affect curlew nesting habitat quality
Donate to the Curlew Recovery Programme and similar species-specific conservation initiatives
Advocate for upland farming support payments that reward curlew-friendly management
Report curlew nesting to local bird groups to support population monitoring