Stone curlews have recovered in East Anglian arable farmland through targeted conservation with farmers, demonstrating that welfare-focused management can reverse decline.
Stone curlew welfare depends critically on farmer cooperation during the breeding season. Nests in arable fields are vulnerable to cultivation operations that can destroy eggs and kill chicks. Conservation schemes that pay farmers to mark nests and cultivate around them directly prevent these welfare harms. The strong nest site fidelity of stone curlews means that welfare at specific nest sites matters for the same individual birds year after year. The recovery of stone curlew populations through collaborative farming and conservation demonstrates that economic incentives for welfare-positive farming can successfully protect breeding birds across agricultural landscapes.