Stone curlews are strange, cryptic birds of open arable and heathland in southern England. Breckland, the sandy heathland of Norfolk and Suffolk, is their main UK stronghold.
Stone curlew welfare in arable settings depends on collaborative relationships between conservation organisations and farmers. RSPB nest protection schemes — in which farmers are paid to avoid disturbing known nest locations during cultivation — have directly prevented thousands of nest failures. The challenge of balancing farming operations with stone curlew nesting is ongoing, requiring annual adjustment of management plans for each known territory. This farmer-conservationist partnership is a model for species welfare in human-dominated landscapes.