This small, speckled brown and grey bird is related to Moorhens and Coots, but it lives on dry land. It migrates to Britain and Ireland from sub-Saharan Africa every spring for the breeding season. They’re much more often heard than seen, as they prefer to stay hidden in tall vegetation, and they have a distinctive rasping “crex crex” call.
Corncrakes used to be widespread in farmland in Britain and Ireland, but they are now found mainly on the islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides, with small populations in Skye, Durness and Orkney. Approximately 870 calling males were recorded in Scotland in 2023. There are also small numbers recorded annually on Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland and in a few areas of England.
Corncrake is on the Scottish Biodiversity List, which identifies the species that are of the most importance to biodiversity in Scotland. It is also on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red List.
Photos: Andy Hay for rspb-images.com
Action Needed
Farmers and crofters in areas with Corncrakes need dedicated support for the measures that we know can make a huge difference to Corncrakes and other wildlife. Farmers and crofters often want to do the right thing for nature, but climate change is making it harder to harvest late, as they’re more likely to suffer crop damage. We need more investment in nature-friendly farming to ensure long-term support for Corncrakes and the communities who live with them.
Threats
Corncrakes have suffered severe population declines since the 1900s. These declines have been closely linked to wider changes in how farms and crofts are managed, with less hay meadows and tall grasslands available during the breeding season and with grass mown earlier in the year. Research has shown that Corncrakes need early cover in the fields when they return from Africa in May, a delay in the mowing of the grasslands until August, and ensuring when that mowing takes place it is from the centre of the field to the edge so that the chicks can escape before they’re able to fly.
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