Capercaillie under threat from breeding of game birds

In the UK, capercaillie – an iconic woodland bird – are only found in Scotland. But they could be extinct within 30 years and an emergency plan was launched last month to save them.

Male capercaillie are the size of a turkey, with glossy black ­bodies, green chests, and brown wings. ­Females are smaller and have brown-mottled plumage.

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While there were 20,000 capercaillie in the 1970s, just 532 of the large grouse are estimated to remain in Scotland’s pine forests and conifer tree plantations where they feed on berries, shoots, and buds.

Now, a freedom of information ­request by The Ferret has found that experts are “increasingly concerned” about the rearing of gamebirds close to areas where the ­extinction-threatened capercaillie is under protection, ­including a national park.

Millions of gamebirds are reared in Scotland or imported from overseas battery farms to sporting estates to be shot by paying clients.

But when released into the wild they can pass on disease and parasites and attract predators such as foxes and badgers, which in turn prey on native species.

RSPB Scotland is urging ­NatureScot to take action around the release of gamebirds on or adjacent to capercaillie special protection ­areas (SPAs).

NatureScot said in reply it would be “very interested” to receive evidence of negative impacts from gamebirds on capercaillie.

The Scottish Gamekeepers’ ­Association questioned whether RSPB Scotland’s position reflects its “opposition to gamebird releasing”.

Britain’s native capercaillie were extinct by the 1780s and today’s ­population is descended from birds reintroduced from Sweden since the 19th century.

Factors behind the decline include habitat loss, predators, disturbance by visitors to areas where ­capercaillie breed and fatal collisions with deer fences.

An emergency plan was launched last month to save the ­capercaillie which could lead to birds being ­introduced from continental Europe to help boost numbers.

The five-year plan, announced by Cairngorms National Park ­Authority (CNPA) and NatureScot, aims to ­increase the birds’ woodland ­habitat and will include a study into the ­potential for “reinforcing” the ­population with birds from outside the UK.

Other aims include reducing the impact of predators such as pine ­martens and badgers by using food to divert them away from capercaillie nests.

Ahead of that plan, The Ferret submitted a freedom of information request to NatureScot asking the government body to provide internal communications over the last year on the impacts of releasing gamebirds into the environment.

Its response revealed that fears about the practice were expressed earlier this year. On May 9, RSPB told NatureScot it was ­“increasingly ­concerned about pheasant ­releases and game bird rearing near to ­capercaillie SPAs,” adding it knew of plans to increase releases near where there was a male capercaillie and a brood recorded last year.

Querying whether there were any ­controls regarding gamebird releases near to the special protection areas, RSPB said: “There are a range of potential impacts on [capercaillie] including competition, increase in parasite burden, import of disease, increase in generalist predators and of course both pheasants and their predators are mobile so these impacts are not restricted to the release sites.”

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NatureScot replied on May 13 and admitted little was currently known about the negative impact of ­pheasants on areas inhabited by ­capercaillie in Scotland. But evidence of negative impacts of pheasants on the wider environment has been found in England, the email said.

“To my knowledge, no research has been done specifically related to caper-occupied areas, or in ­Scotland ­generally (yet),” NatureScot added. “The potential concerns that might be most important here in my view would include the ­potential ­attraction of a concentration of pheasants to predators, and the potential for ­disease transmission – including ticks.”

On May 15, RSPB suggested ­gamebird releases should go through the habitats regulations appraisal (HRA) process, “especially as we have observed capercaillie declines in the areas closest to gamebird ­releases”. The process means authorities must consider whether any plan or project affects an SPA.

Regarding a capercaillie special ­protection area within the ­Cairngorms National Park, NatureScot said there had been gamebird releases close to the park and that they should require an HRA.

Its email said: “In my view, we also need the matter of pheasant ­releases in or adjacent to capercaillie SPAs to be addressed as part of the ­capercaillie emergency plan due to be published very shortly.”

An email from NatureScot revealed its limited powers. The agency said, “We don’t have any remit to require land managers to apply for consent for any activities outside these sites (SPAs)” and legal advice would be required to ensure the government agency was “not overstepping the mark”.

“In the meantime, we can contact the estates concerned to ask whether they would moderate their plans on a voluntary basis,” the email added.

Commenting on the email ­exchange, Claire Smith (below), senior conservation ­officer at RSPB Scotland, explained that because capercaillie are closely related to pheasants and red-legged partridges, they are susceptible to the same parasites and diseases.

“As part of the consultation on the ­capercaillie emergency plan, we ­highlighted the need for specific ­action and funding for further ­research and work to reduce parasite pressure,” Smith added.

“We are pleased to see this has been included in the final plan, ­however, we would like to see more ­proactive ­action from NatureScot around the ­release of gamebirds on or adjacent to capercaillie ­special ­protection ­areas using existing ­powers and ­applying the ­precautionary ­principle.”

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Scottish Green MSP Ariane ­Burgess said: “We have been ­urging the Scottish Government to take ­action to tackle the decline of the iconic capercaillie for many years now. When I first lodged a ­motion to target action for increasing ­capercaillie in Scotland, we only had around 700 of these iconic birds. But with ­numbers down to 532, the ­species face a ­critical risk of ­extinction for a second time.

“The climate and nature ­emergencies can’t be separated. The loss of our nature and iconic ­species is a threat to all of us and our ­environments.”

NatureScot said it has no legal ­authority to require land managers to apply for consent to release gamebirds outside of protected areas. A spokesperson added: “In this case (the email exchange) we provided advice to the RSPB and are ­awaiting their response before taking any ­further steps.”

A spokesperson for the Cairngorms National Park Authority said the body is aware of concerns around the impact of gamebird releases on ­capercaillie and is “keen to ensure that all releases are sustainable and do not negatively impact native biodiversity”.

Monitoring capercaillie mortality is part of the Capercaillie Emergency Plan which includes looking into the potential impact of parasites from other birds in capercaillie areas, the spokesperson explained.

They added: “The park authority are also partners in a project led by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust which seeks to identify the extent of gamebird releases – where and how many are released across the National Park – and identify some of the impacts gamebirds may have on native species.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said that where pheasants are released, predators are generally controlled legally by gamekeepers and that “increased predation should not, therefore, be a major issue”.

He added: “What is curious here is that RSPB and others have had many years to focus on known ­predator ­impacts on capercaillie but have ­chosen, as policy, to do ­nothing. ­Concerns over predation of ­capercaillie now seems curious in terms of timing and somewhat ­hollow.

“Until that time, there are far ­bigger, known problems facing ­capercaillie that need to be focused on if we are to save the bird from extinction. ­NatureScot’s [Scientific Advisory Committee] report of 2022 laid these out very clearly, on the basis of all existing evidence. Pheasants did not feature.”

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Rufus Sage, head of lowland game bird research at the Game and ­Wildlife Conservation Trust, said ­NatureScot is right when it ­“highlights the lack of evidence of the negative impacts of released pheasants on capercaillie woodland habitats away from release sites”.

Moreover, he claimed, there is “­little evidence” of any wider ­negative effects of releasing in other woodland habitats elsewhere in Britain.

The trust agrees with NatureScot that the spread of disease and ­increased predator activity, that might be associated with releasing, are ­causes of concern, he added. “­Issues related to possible disease ­transmission between gamebirds ­involving ticks or other pathways are not clear, but a precautionary ­approach might be argued,” Sage said.

“There is always a concern about the risk of unintended and negative effects when wildlife management is not evidence-led,” Sage added.

“This focus on pheasant release as a major issue lacks supporting ­evidence and may divert attention from the more significant challenges faced by capercaillie, such as ­predation and habitat loss.

“Addressing these fundamental ­issues is much more complex than simply blaming gamebird releases.”