Chough Welfare on Coastal Cliffs and Farmland

The chough is a specialist corvid requiring short-grazed grassland near coastal cliffs and is one of the UK's rarest breeding birds.

Key Facts

UK chough population is around 450 breeding pairs, mostly in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland
Choughs use long curved bills to probe soil for invertebrate larvae
Requires short-sward grassland managed by traditional livestock grazing
Species is sensitive to agricultural intensification and loss of coastal heath
Breeding colonies are highly traditional in site fidelity across decades

Welfare Considerations

Chough welfare is entirely dependent on the continuation of traditional low-intensity cattle and pony grazing that maintains short grassland sward. Loss of grazing on coastal heath allows rank vegetation that prevents invertebrate foraging. Chemical soil treatments including insecticides and some wormers reduce prey availability. Disturbance at nest sites causes abandonment. Chough recovery in England through reintroduction programs in Cornwall and other sites requires sustained habitat management. The welfare of individual birds is inseparable from population-level conservation outcomes.

What You Can Do

Support Chough reintroduction projects in Cornwall and other UK sites
Advocate for continuation of agri-environment payments supporting coastal grazing
Keep dogs away from coastal cliff-nesting sites during the breeding season
Report chough sightings to local wildlife recording groups