LIFE project: the Capercaillie population in Scotland

摘要

Capercaillie had its best breeding season in 2006 for 14 years. A survey, funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, was carried out by the Game Conservancy Trust as part of the Capercaillie LIFE Project. It looked at 19 sites during the summer. Across these sites, 88 hens had 121 chicks in total, with 40 chicks reared in one Strathspey forest alone. The survey also revealed breeding success high in native pinewoods in Strathspey which are managed by private estates. Here, each hen averaged over one chickeach. In the 1990s Capercaillie were declining at a rate of about 16% per year.