Wildlife Welfare

Wild Curlew Chick Survival on Farmland

Why curlew chick survival on farmland is critical and how farmers can help.

Key Facts

Curlew are among Europe's fastest-declining bird species, with breeding numbers falling by 65% in the UK since 1970
Chick survival, not egg hatching, is the primary limiting factor for curlew population recovery
Early silage cutting and agricultural machinery are major causes of curlew chick mortality
Agri-environment scheme payments for predator management and delayed cutting have measurable benefits

Welfare Considerations

Curlew chick mortality from agricultural machinery represents acute welfare harm and population-level crisis. Individual chicks killed by mowing experience severe trauma. Supporting farming practices that reduce this risk provides simultaneous welfare and conservation benefit.

What You Can Do

Support agri-environment schemes that incentivise curlew-friendly farming practices
Advocate for machinery alerts and pre-cut nest searches in curlew breeding areas
Donate to curlew recovery projects running headstarting programmes for at-risk chicks