Swan decline not caused by farming

Changes to UK farming practices are unlikely to have caused a crash in the number of Bewick’s swans, according to new research from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).

The Bewick’s swan population fell by nearly 40 per cent between 1995 and 2010. Wintering in the UK, the swans feed largely on leftover potatoes and grains in fields, so it was thought possible that mechanisation in farming might have depleted this food source.

WWT therefore compared the body condition of swans it has caught over the past 50 years. Dr Kevin Wood, WWT principal research officer, said: “Although the British countryside has changed considerably over the past half century, there’s no evidence that the swans are anything other than well fed while they’re here.”

Possible reasons for the species’ decline include illegal hunting, poisoning, collisions and habitat loss. Samantha Herbert