Capercaillie faces new extinction risk... with just 542 left

THE capercaillie is at real risk of extinction in the UK, with only 542 of the birds estimated to be left in Scotland

The population has dropped around 50 per cent since the last survey six years ago and is now at a critically low level, the latest national survey has found.

Numbers of capercaillie, pictured, have been declining since the third national survey of 2003/04 However, this is the first

‘Vulnerable population’

time the population has dipped below 1,000.

Conservation scientists said the decline is being fuelled by a combination of factors which reduce capercaillie survival and breeding success.

These include cold, wet spring weather which has an impact on the fitness of female birds before the breeding season and affects chick survival, along with predation and a habitat which remains fragmented in places despite ongoing work to enhance it. Experts are now calling on agencies to work together to try to help the birds. Nick Wilkinson, conservation scientist at RSPB Scotland, said: ‘This upto-date estimate of capercaillie numbers reveals just how vulnerable the population in Scotland is. ‘Previous surveys have seen numbers fluctuating between about 1,000 and 2,000 birds so it’s really worrying that the results from last winter indicate there are only an estimated 542 individuals remaining now. These results will help focus efforts on where action should be targeted and where the most impact can be made for them.’

The country’s capercaillie population is surveyed every six years.

It is estimated that the Cairngorms National Park has about 85 per cent of the total number.

Andy Douse, NatureScot ornithology adviser, said: ‘It’s clear that the future of capercaillie in Scotland is extremely vulnerable.

‘We recognise the urgency of the situation and the need to accelerate the partnership work that’s necessary to tackle threats to the species.’