Lapwing Breeding Welfare in 2025: Wet Grassland and Predator Management

Lapwings face ongoing breeding welfare challenges in 2025 from habitat loss and predator pressure. Conservation on nature reserves and sympathetically managed farmland is essential.

Key Facts

Lapwing chicks are precocial — mobile within hours of hatching and self-feeding
Adults mob predators aggressively but cannot prevent all losses to foxes and corvids
Wet grassland with short sward provides the optimal chick feeding habitat
RSPB reserves managing water levels specifically for lapwing show strong productivity
Nest losses to agricultural machinery kill approximately 400,000 lapwing nests annually in Europe

Welfare Considerations

Lapwing chick welfare in the first two weeks after hatching is acutely dependent on wet, invertebrate-rich sward that they can reach with their short bills. Dry grassland in summer forces chicks to travel further for food, increasing exposure to predators. The combination of predator management, water level control and appropriate grazing on nature reserves produces lapwing productivity substantially above unmanaged sites. Farmland lapwings benefit from agri-environment scheme payments for wet grassland and delayed mowing.

What You Can Do

Support RSPB and Wildlife Trust wet grassland management for lapwing on nature reserves
Advocate for agri-environment scheme payments for lapwing-friendly farmland management
Report lapwing nesting and chick sightings to BTO Nest Record Scheme
Back the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust on upland lapwing management
Engage with Natural England on predator management options within Countryside Stewardship