Wildlife

Wild Capercaillie Scottish Population

Scottish capercaillie welfare depends on undisturbed breeding, appropriate forest management, and predator control in a critically small population.

Key Facts

Scotland holds the only wild capercaillie population in the UK, estimated at around 500 birds
Breeding success requires undisturbed leks from March to May and chick habitat from June to August
Deer fences cause significant collision mortality especially for dispersing young birds
Predator management and deer fence removal are primary conservation tools
Cairngorms Connect represents the largest conservation project in UK history targeting capercaillie habitat

Welfare Considerations

Capercaillie killed by deer fence collisions die from traumatic injuries. Disturbance-related lek failure means males fail to mate and females fail to breed across entire seasons. At 500 individuals, each bird's welfare is critical for population viability.

What You Can Do

Support Cairngorms Connect and other large-scale capercaillie habitat restoration programs
Donate to deer fence removal programs in key capercaillie habitats
Avoid capercaillie habitats during lek season from March to May