Farmers save rare bird in Scotland

Farmers and landowners have stopped the corn bunting, one of Britain’s rarest birds, from sliding towards extinction in one of its few remaining strongholds.

The population in Fife, Scotland, has increased to 372 territories, which is three times more than at its lowest point in 2001.

In Fife, numbers are up by 29 per cent since 2020 following a 70 per cent increase between 2014 and 2019. The entire eastern Scottish population had previously crashed by 83 per cent between 1989 and 2007.

More than 100 Fife farmers teamed up with the Links Trust and the Crail Golfing Society to provide safe nesting and winter food for the birds.

Yvonne Stephan, of the RSPB, said: “It’s amazing to see local farmers and landowners doing their best to help corn buntings.”

Elsewhere in Britain, the numbers have continued to tumble, driven by habitat loss and changes in farming.