Capercaillie face an acute conservation crisis in Scotland with fewer than 500 birds remaining, raising profound questions about individual welfare and extinction risk.
With so few individuals remaining, each capercaillie death or breeding failure is a significant welfare and conservation loss. Fence collision causes acute physical trauma and death. Disturbance at leks during spring causes cortisol elevation, disrupts mating, and can lead to nest abandonment. Predation of eggs and chicks is the primary cause of low breeding success, with individual chicks experiencing fear and pain before death. Welfare-informed conservation prioritises reducing avoidable human-caused mortality and disturbance.