The corncrake is one of the UK's most threatened birds, with populations dependent on late-cutting hay meadow management to prevent nest destruction and chick mortality during harvesting operations.
Corncrake welfare is directly linked to farming practices, particularly the timing and method of hay cutting. Mechanized mowing kills incubating birds and their chicks, representing direct preventable mortality. Birds that escape initial cutting may be trapped in progressively smaller areas of uncut vegetation, increasing stress and vulnerability to predation. The loss of traditional crofting practices that naturally accommodated corncrakes represents a fundamental disruption of their ecological relationships.