Evidence-based habitat management for breeding curlew — including grazing pressure reduction and predator management — is critical to preventing UK extinction of this iconic wading bird.
Curlew welfare at breeding sites is directly affected by habitat management decisions. Over-grazed grassland prevents nest concealment and removes invertebrate food for chicks; under-managed grassland becomes too rank for curlew nesting. Evidence from Curlew Country and RSPB studies demonstrates that targeted management including livestock exclusion from nesting areas April-July, nest protection from agricultural machinery, and legal predator control significantly improves breeding success and individual bird welfare. Nest failure causes welfare harm to breeding pairs through failed reproductive effort and energetic cost; chick predation causes acute welfare harm. Camera trap monitoring of nests provides welfare insights without disturbance. The welfare of individual breeding curlews is inseparable from population-level conservation success.