Curlew Conservation and Farming Conflict Management

The Eurasian curlew has declined by around 48 percent in the UK since the 1990s, with agricultural intensification and predator pressure identified as key drivers requiring targeted welfare-conscious conservation responses.

Key Facts

Curlews are ground-nesting birds requiring large areas of wet grassland and moorland for breeding
Nest failure rates are extremely high — over 80 percent in some studies — due to predation and agricultural disturbance
The characteristic bubbling call is associated with upland landscapes but curlews also nest in lowland wet grassland
Curlew nest productivity needed for population stability is approximately 0.5 chicks per pair per year
Curlew country project works with farmers to delay cutting, manage grazing intensity, and protect nesting areas
Captive breeding and headstarting programmes are being trialled as conservation interventions in the UK

Welfare Considerations

Individual curlew welfare is affected by nest disturbance causing clutch failure and re-laying stress, predator attacks on sitting adults, and starvation of chicks in intensively managed grasslands that lack the invertebrate prey they need. The welfare of individual birds is linked to the viability of the population — when nesting success is chronically low, the population ages and ultimately collapses, representing both an ecological and cumulative animal welfare loss. Agri-environment schemes that provide financial support for delayed cutting, reduced grazing pressure in nesting areas, and predator management designed to protect nesting birds provide practical welfare benefits at scale.

What You Can Do

Support Curlew Action and RSPB curlew recovery projects through donation or volunteering
If farming or managing land in curlew breeding areas, contact Curlew Country for free nesting support
Participate in BTO BirdTrack surveys to contribute curlew population data
Advocate for continued funding of agri-environment schemes benefiting ground-nesting farmland birds