Black grouse lekking behaviour is one of Britain's most spectacular wildlife spectacles. Protecting these threatened birds requires managing upland habitats and reducing disturbance at lek sites.
Black grouse lek welfare concerns both individual males competing at leks and the breeding success of the population. Males display vigorously at leks - the competition is energetically costly and involves genuine physical confrontations. Human disturbance at leks during the display season causes males to flee before mating occurs, wasting the energy invested in display and potentially disrupting mating entirely. The welfare of the population is linked to the productivity of lek events: disturbed leks produce fewer fertile females and lower population recruitment. Protecting lek sites during April-May with no-go zones and predator management directly improves both individual welfare outcomes and population recovery.