Wildlife Welfare

Wild Cornish Chough Conservation Welfare

The Cornish chough is an emblematic bird of coastal clifftops. Conservation management on the Lizard Peninsula has supported gradual recovery.

Key Facts

Choughs recolonised Cornwall naturally in 2001 after 50-year absence
A small but growing population now breeds on the Lizard and west Cornwall clifftops
Short coastal turf managed by livestock grazing provides essential invertebrate foraging
Power line deaths have killed several birds in the small population
Each individual chough is critically important given the small total population

Welfare Considerations

In such a small population, each individual chough's welfare is demographically significant - the death of a breeding adult from a preventable cause like power line collision can affect population trajectory. Conservation management that maintains grazing for short-turf habitat and addresses power line mortality protects both individual welfare and population viability.

What You Can Do

Support the RSPB and Cornwall Wildlife Trust chough conservation programs
Report chough sightings to contribute to monitoring data
Advocate for grazing management that maintains chough foraging habitat
Learn about the chough's return to Cornwall as a conservation success