Wild Lapwing Chick Welfare and Farming Conflicts

Lapwing chicks are vulnerable to agricultural machinery, livestock trampling and predation during the critical post-hatch period on lowland farmland.

Key Facts

Lapwing populations declined by approximately 60% in the UK between 1987 and 2017
Lapwings require short, tussocky grassland for nesting and insect-rich areas for chick rearing
Chicks cannot fly for approximately 35 days after hatching and depend on parental protection
Agricultural silage cutting causes significant chick and egg mortality
Farmers can delay cutting around lapwing nests identified by staff or conservationists
Adult lapwings perform dramatic distraction displays to draw predators away from chicks
Drainage of wet grassland has removed critical feeding habitat for chick rearing
Lapwings benefit significantly from wet grassland restoration and cattle grazing management

Welfare Considerations

Lapwing chicks killed or injured by agricultural machinery experience acute welfare harm at significant scale during the breeding season. Mortality from silage cutting before chicks fledge represents one of the largest agricultural welfare impacts on any UK bird species. Predator pressure on adult birds performing distraction displays causes additional stress. Farm management that locates nests before cutting, delays operations around active nests, and maintains wet grassland feeding habitat delivers welfare and conservation benefits simultaneously.

What You Can Do

Farmers should walk fields before silage cutting to locate and protect lapwing nests
Support agri-environment scheme options that create wet grassland and delay cutting dates
Report lapwing nesting in agricultural fields to the local Wildlife Trust for potential nest protection support
Advocate for mandatory nest searches before silage and hay operations in known lapwing areas
Support the RSPB's farmland bird programmes targeting lapwing recovery