The capercaillie is Scotland's largest grouse and faces extinction as a breeding bird in Scotland, with recreational disturbance at lek sites a critical welfare and conservation concern.
Capercaillie welfare is inextricably linked to disturbance management during the breeding season. Flushing capercaillie from lek sites causes energetic costs during a critical period when males must defend territories and females must complete egg laying and incubation. Repeated disturbance of nesting females can cause nest abandonment with egg and chick mortality. The combination of population fragility and disturbance sensitivity makes individual welfare events at lek sites potentially significant for population recovery. Seasonal closures of sensitive areas during the April to June breeding season are welfare and conservation necessities that visitor management must enforce effectively.