Wildlife

UK Fieldfare Breeding and Migration Welfare

Conservation and welfare of fieldfares on their breeding grounds and migration to UK wintering sites.

Key Facts

Fieldfares breed in Scandinavia and Russia in large numbers
Small numbers breed in northern Scotland in most years
Fieldfares arrive in the UK from October onwards in highly variable numbers
Hard winters in Scandinavia drive large influxes to UK orchards and farmland
Redwings often associate with fieldfares in mixed winter thrush flocks

Welfare Considerations

Individual fieldfares face welfare challenges during long-distance migration and in winters when berry resources are scarce in both Scandinavia and the UK.

What You Can Do

Plant and maintain berry-bearing hedgerows and orchard trees
Support old orchard conservation through the PTES
Record fieldfare sightings and flock sizes to assist monitoring