Curlews are among Britain's most threatened wading birds. Their survival depends on reducing predation pressure, restoring upland and lowland wet grassland habitats, and addressing the multiple threats they face across their lifecycle.
Curlew welfare at individual level is shaped by the challenges of nesting in predator-rich landscapes without adequate habitat quality. Nests that fail to predation represent not just a reproductive loss but a significant energetic investment by the breeding pair. Birds in declining populations live in landscapes where suitable habitat is increasingly fragmented, requiring longer flights to find adequate food, and where the presence of predators creates chronic vigilance stress. The large, conspicuous nature of curlews makes them vulnerable targets for raptors, and their ground-nesting habits expose eggs and chicks to mammalian predators. The combination of habitat degradation and predation pressure creates conditions where successful breeding is increasingly exceptional.