The Eurasian woodcock is a cryptically plumaged wading bird of woodland and scrub that faces growing pressures from habitat loss and changing land management. UK populations are supplemented by large winter influxes from Scandinavia and Russia.
Woodcocks in severe winter weather face starvation when frozen ground prevents access to their earthworm prey. Wet woodland with unfrozen ground becomes critical refuge habitat supporting large numbers of birds during cold snaps. Shooting of woodcock, including winter visitors that may be weakened by migration, remains legal in the UK and can involve wounded birds that escape and die slowly. Woodland management that maintains wet areas and leaf litter depth sustains the earthworm populations on which woodcocks depend for winter survival.