The chough is one of Britain's rarest breeding birds, confined to Wales, Scotland and the Channel Islands. Its welfare depends on the availability of short coastal turf managed by traditional grazing.
Chough welfare depends on an extremely specific combination of habitat factors: short, grazed coastal turf with abundant soil invertebrates accessible to their specialised probing bills. This habitat is maintained by traditional livestock grazing - particularly cattle and horses - that prevents rank vegetation growth. Where traditional grazing has been abandoned, chough territories are lost because birds cannot access their invertebrate prey. Management interventions that restore or maintain appropriate grazing directly improve chough welfare by ensuring adequate food access. Each chough that can forage effectively through the winter maintains the body condition necessary for the demanding breeding season.