Corncrakes have retreated to Scottish island strongholds due to agricultural intensification and require specific farm management to support their recovery.
Agricultural machinery kills corncrakes and their chicks directly through cutting at nesting time. Survivors of mechanised mowing face habitat loss as short-sward grassland provides inadequate cover. The welfare of individual birds is inseparable from their population status - as numbers decline, finding mates and suitable habitat becomes increasingly difficult, increasing physiological stress. Farm management payments for corncrake-friendly practices directly reduce individual mortality.