Wild Curlew Breeding Habitat Welfare

Curlew breeding habitat management on farmland and upland grassland is the most critical lever for preventing extinction in England and Wales.

Key Facts

Curlews need wet, rush-dominated grassland or short-sward moorland with abundant earthworms and invertebrates.
Improved, heavily fertilised grassland lacks the invertebrate diversity curlews require for chick feeding.
Rush control by drainage and over-grazing destroys the cover curlews need for nesting.
Curlew Country and WWT run predator management and headstarting programmes at key sites.
Natural England agri-environment scheme options now include specific curlew-supporting management prescriptions.

Welfare Considerations

Individual curlew welfare on breeding sites is shaped by predation pressure, food availability for chicks, and weather during the critical first weeks after hatching. Chicks depend on invertebrate-rich soil and short grass for foraging; habitat degradation cuts this resource. Fox predation of eggs and chicks is the most commonly cited cause of breeding failure on current breeding sites. The headstarting programme — incubating eggs artificially and releasing chicks when larger and more predator-aware — provides welfare protection during the most vulnerable period. Maintaining wet ground conditions through appropriate water management supports the earthworm and invertebrate populations that curlew chicks depend on.

What You Can Do

Support Curlew Country, WWT, and Curlew Action programmes that combine predator management and headstarting.
If farming potential curlew habitat, engage with Countryside Stewardship options for curlew-friendly management.
Report curlew breeding activity and outcomes to your local wildlife trust or BTO.
Advocate for higher-tier agri-environment payments that make curlew-supporting management economically viable.