Black grouse have declined dramatically in the UK and are confined to upland heathland and moorland edges, with welfare shaped by habitat structure and predation management.
Black grouse welfare is tied to a specific habitat mosaic that intensive land management has largely eliminated from their former range. Individual welfare risks include predation (both legal and illegal), disturbance at leks during the breeding season, and starvation during severe winters when food plants are buried under ice. Supplementary feeding at communal leks during winter has been shown to improve body condition and breeding success. Lek disturbance by walkers, quad bikes and other recreational users during spring causes birds to abandon traditional sites, reducing the effectiveness of the communal display for mate selection.