Wild Lapwing Chick Welfare and Farmland Management

Lapwing chick survival on UK farmland is critically low due to agricultural intensification. Targeted management interventions can directly improve individual chick welfare and population recovery.

Key Facts

UK lapwing populations have declined by over 60% since the 1960s
Agricultural intensification - faster spring growth, silage cutting and pesticide use - has eliminated most breeding habitat
Lapwing chicks are precocial but cannot fly for 35-40 days after hatching
During this period they are entirely dependent on invertebrate-rich grassland for food
Chicks caught in silage mowing operations die traumatically - an estimated 1-3 million bird deaths annually
Damp, tussocky grassland with adjacent bare areas provides optimal chick rearing habitat
Lapwing nesting plots created through agri-environment schemes significantly improve breeding success

Welfare Considerations

Lapwing chick welfare on modern farmland is chronically compromised. A newly hatched lapwing chick needs abundant surface invertebrates accessible within a short walk of the nest - conditions that modern intensive silage fields simply do not provide. Chicks that cannot access adequate food in the first days after hatching develop rapidly depleted energy reserves and die of starvation within days. The traumatic death of chicks and incubating adults in silage cutting operations is immediate and severe. Nest protection surveys, modified mowing schedules and agri-environment habitat creation directly prevent individual deaths and chick starvation.

What You Can Do

Support Curlew Action, RSPB and Wildlife Trust lapwing recovery programmes
Advocate for agri-environment payment reforms that specifically fund lapwing habitat creation
Report lapwing breeding sites to local farmers and estates so mowing can be modified
Support timed mowing campaigns that raise awareness of ground-nesting bird mortality
Manage any grassland you control with lapwing-friendly practices