Stone curlews are summer visitors to southern Britain with a UK population that has recovered from 150 pairs to over 400 through dedicated conservation work. Understanding the partnership between farmers and conservationists behind this success matters.
Stone curlew welfare recovery demonstrates what is achievable through partnership between farmers, conservationists, and volunteers. Nest protection schemes that allow cultivation to continue around marked nests prevent the agricultural machinery deaths that were driving the population down. The welfare of breeding birds depends on finding suitable bare ground habitat and raising chicks to fledging without catastrophic nest loss. The monitoring and protection scheme that covers almost all known nests represents a direct welfare intervention at population scale that has demonstrably succeeded.