The corncrake has retreated to the Hebridean machair and a few Irish sites as intensive hay cutting eliminated breeding habitat across its former range. Conservation intervention has stabilised numbers but welfare threats remain.
Modern silage cutting schedules that begin in June kill large numbers of corncrakes in grass. Their cryptic behaviour means they do not flush from approaching machinery and are struck by mowing blades. Chicks killed by cutting suffer acute trauma. Birds that escape early cuts face secondary predation pressure in reduced cover. The loss of traditional crofting practices that sustained corncrake habitat represents a fundamental mismatch between agricultural economy and wildlife welfare.