Curlews are among the UK's most threatened breeding birds. Arable farm management can support breeding curlews in upland and lowland landscapes.
Curlew chicks killed by foxes or crows, or whose nests are destroyed by farming operations, suffer direct welfare harm. Conservation management that combines predator management with late mowing and enhanced habitat creates conditions where curlew chicks can survive to fledging. Individual welfare and population recovery are mutually reinforcing goals in curlew conservation.