The corncrake has recovered modestly in Ireland through targeted agri-environment management but remains critically rare with welfare dependent on sympathetic farming practices.
Corncrake welfare during breeding is critically affected by the timing of hay cutting and silage making. Mechanical cutting kills chicks and destroys nests when performed before chicks are able to fly. Corncrake-friendly cutting regimes that start from the field centre outward and delay cutting until late summer allow chicks to escape. Loss of tall grassland vegetation from agricultural improvement eliminates suitable nesting habitat.