Great bustard breeding welfare at the Salisbury Plain reintroduction site depends on predator management, weather during chick rearing, and minimal disturbance.
Great bustard chick welfare during their most vulnerable period is managed through targeted fox control at the reintroduction site. Predation is the primary welfare threat to chicks that cannot fly for their first month. Cold wet weather reduces the invertebrate prey needed for rapid early growth. Military training schedule coordination minimises disturbance during the breeding period. This intensive, evidence-based management is necessary for a population recovering from centuries of absence.