Wildlife Welfare

Wild Cornish Chough Recovery Advanced 2026

The Cornish chough population continues to recover in 2026, with expanded management and monitoring programmes supporting the small but growing colony. Individual bird welfare is tracked through colour ringing.

Key Facts

Cornish chough numbers reached over 25 breeding pairs in 2026 across Cornwall and offshore islands
Colour ringing enables tracking of individual birds across years
Habitat management creating short, invertebrate-rich coastal grassland supports foraging welfare
Gull competition at nest sites is managed through targeted monitoring and intervention
Young choughs face challenges establishing territories in an expanding population

Welfare Considerations

Individual Cornish choughs are tracked through colour ringing programmes that enable welfare monitoring of specific birds across their lifespans. This individual-level data reveals welfare challenges including territorial competition, foraging difficulty in poor weather, and successful breeding outcomes. Conservation management informed by individual welfare data provides targeted interventions for specific birds facing difficulties.

What You Can Do

Support Cornwall Wildlife Trust chough conservation and monitoring programmes
Report chough sightings to local monitoring schemes in Cornwall
Advocate for agri-environment funding that maintains chough foraging habitat