Critically Endangered Capercaillie Population in Scotland Rises Following Extinction Scare

Following a near-extinction scare last year, the critically endangered capercaillie population has increased for the first time in eight years.

Extinction Scare: Gone In 30 Years

The huge grouse are solely found in Scotland, and there are just 542 of them left in the entire UK.

During the latest survey of leks, sites where male birds vie for mates, a total of 168 males were counted, marking an increase of 19 from the previous year's count.

Conservationists reported that populations in Strathspey, in the Cairngorms National Park, as well as in Easter Ross, in the Highlands, had seen an increase in numbers.

Even though the genetic diversity of Scottish capercaillies was low, the survey revealed that there was little evidence that it had suffered severely.

The original capercaillie of Britain had vanished by the 1780s, and the current population is descended from birds that were brought over from Sweden in the late 19th century.

It has been proposed that additional reintroductions be made as a means of expanding the genetic pool.

The population decline has been attributed to habitat destruction and human interference with reproductive seasons.

The capercaillie could go extinct in Scotland over the next 30 years, according to warnings from the previous year.

Reintroductions and Population Rise in Scotland

The Scottish government has urged the Cairngorms National Park Authority and NatureScot to spearhead a coordinated conservation action plan in response to this spring's surge.

The capercaillie is close to extinction in Scotland, according to Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater, but new research offers hope for the species.

Slater emphasizes the need of continuing the work that has already been done to safeguard one of Scotland's most recognizable birds.

The Scottish chapter of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it supported the new initiatives to boost capercaillie conservation, BBC News reports.

Critically Endangered Capercaillie

The enormous capercaillie is a distinctive black male grouse of the woodlands. They mostly graze on the ground, but they can sometimes be found in trees where they eat the shoots and buds. They are a restricted breeding species found in commercial conifer plantations and rare and endangered Scottish natural pinewood. The capercaillie population in the UK has decreased so quickly that it is on the "Red List" and faces a very real risk of extinction for the second time, according to RSPB.

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Major Threats

The bad Scottish weather is one of the greatest issues. Long periods of chilly springtime weather hinder females from being breeding-ready in the first place, while damp summers chill chicks that are already having trouble finding enough food to live.

Forest predators pose a threat to vulnerable chicks and nesting females. Many eggs are also snatched by crows and other scavengers even before they hatch.

The issues continue even once they are large enough to fly. Many capercaillies, including males, of all ages, collide with deer fences and perish.

Additionally, dog walkers and ardent wildlife observers may disrupt capercaillies, according to Forestry and Land Scotland.