Number of breeding pairs of Stone-curlew has more than doubled since RSPB-led project to help endangered bird started 40 years ago

A project working to boost the numbers of endangered Stone-curlew in this region is celebrating its 40th anniversary, with the breeding pair population more than doubling since work started 1985.

The rare bird has been benefitting from the dedicated efforts of farmers, landowners and the RSPB Eastern England Stone-curlew Project partnership and volunteers in conserving, restoring and creating nesting habitats.

Once found widely throughout England, the number of Stone-curlew declined through the 19th and early 20th century with 1,000 to 2,000 pairs remaining by the 1930s. By 1985, the number of breeding pairs had reduced to fewer than 150 nationwide.

The significant drop in numbers was mainly due to gradual loss and deterioration of preferred nesting sites, with the birds preferring open, bare or sparsely vegetated ground with light, stoney soils. Meanwhile, they are very sensitive to disturbance and will desert a nest if there is too much human activity nearby.

The RSPB Eastern England Stone-curlew Project started in 1985, working mainly in the Brecks.

The project works closely with farmers and landowners to protect nests on arable land from destruction during farming operations and is part of a wider collaboration in the east of England including RSPB, Natural England, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Forestry England, Ministry of Defence, farmers and other landowners to manage and create land for Stone-curlews and other species associated with these habitats.

In 2023, 46 per cent of all confirmed Stone-curlew breeding attempts monitored by the project in the east of England were on grass heathland and specially created nesting plots.

Actions taken to reverse the decline in East Anglian breeding numbers over the past 40 years have included:

• Working with landowners to restore and create grass heathland for Stone-curlew to nest and feed on
• Encouraging farmers and landowners to create specially managed plots of bare ground within arable land for Stone-curlew breeding
• Creation of a team of RSPB volunteers to annually monitor nest sites
• Sharing of skills and knowledge between partners and volunteers to provide the best long-term outcome for Stone-curlew in the Brecks

This work has resulted in:

• Breeding pairs of Stone-curlew increasing from fewer than 100 in 1985 to approximately 226 breeding pairs in the east of England in 2024 (including estimates for un-monitored sites)
• Working with 57 farms and other landowners in East Anglia to monitor and protect approximately 230 Stone-curlew nests per year
• Approximately 60 Stone-curlew nesting plots are now monitored and maintained annually
• Hundreds of hectares of grass heathland have been restored or created for Stone-curlew to nest on

Tim Cowan, RSPB conservation officer, said: “The success of the Stone-curlew project is proof that by working together we can make space for nature, if we really want to. We look forward to continued work towards establishing a sustainable population of Stone-curlew in the Brecks.”

Stone-curlew only have one to two broods per year, with a maximum of two eggs per brood. This means population growth is slow and with a small population, it is vulnerable.

Significant changes in weather can also severely affect Stone-curlew, as happened in 2013 when unseasonably cold weather caused approximately 20 per cent of the UK Stone-curlew population to perish in early spring.