Eurasian Curlew Welfare on UK Upland Moors: Nesting and Predation

Curlews face a welfare and conservation crisis on UK upland moors with predation pressure and habitat change causing catastrophic breeding failure.

Key Facts

Curlew is the UK's most at-risk breeding wading bird
UK breeding population has declined by 48% since 1994
Predation by foxes, crows, and corvids is the primary cause of nest failure
They require large areas of rush, heather, and grass mosaic for nesting
Call surveys and nest monitoring show chick survival below replacement level at most sites

Welfare Considerations

Curlew welfare at breeding sites is severely compromised by predation failure cascades. Eggs and chicks taken by predators experience acute welfare costs. Adults that have bred successfully on a territory for years but face escalating predation suffer loss of breeding investment. The conservation crisis means individual welfare outcomes are biologically consequential: every chick that survives to fledging matters for population persistence. Predator management, habitat restoration, and headstarting programmes all directly improve individual curlew welfare outcomes.

What You Can Do

Support Curlew Country and RSPB curlew conservation projects
Advocate for targeted predator management at curlew breeding sites
Back headstarting programmes that give curlew chicks a protected start
Encourage agri-environment scheme uptake that supports curlew habitat
Join BTO curlew nest monitoring volunteer programmes