Curlew conservation - Advice for farmers

There has been a major decline in their numbers across the UK. In Northern Ireland, Wales and lowland England numbers are now perilously low. There was a 48% decline in population between 1995 and 2020.

These declines are a result of habitat loss and poor nesting success.

Key points

• Retain and restore rough, damp pasture and traditional hay meadows.
• Extensively graze to provide taller vegetation through the breeding season.
• Timing of cutting is critical in meadows.
• Provide damp areas, wet flushes or small, shallow pools as feeding areas for chicks.
• Avoid planting trees in curlew nesting areas as these may provide habitat for predators; in some areas control of foxes and crows may be required.

Tall, open vegetation for nesting from April to July

Curlews nest in a wide variety of upland vegetation types. They usually select relatively tall vegetation, either within a tussock on rough pasture or within the tall, but not too dense, vegetation of an unimproved hay crop. Whilst curlew will nest in silage due to the earlier cutting date this can result in destruction of eggs/chicks.

Ground invertebrates during the breeding season

Adults feed on earthworms, leatherjackets, beetles, spiders and caterpillars. Curlew chicks generally feed on surface insects and spiders.

• Mountain, hill and moorland
• Wet grassland and grazing marsh
• Floodplain meadows
• Rush pastures
• Temporary ponds and scrapes