Population of This Tall Bird Reaches All-Time High (Since the 1600s!)

Putting an end to a 400-year breeding absence, the crane has made a strong comeback in the United Kingdom as the country accounts for a record-breaking number of breeding pairs of the tall bird.

“The recovery of the UK crane population, now at its highest level since the 17th century, showcases that conservation action can make a real difference,” says Andrew Stanbury, conservation scientist at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 

The conservation charity took part in the creation and improvement of the crane’s favored habitat in Suffolk and in Cambridgeshire. Since 2010, it also released young birds on the Somerset Levels and Moors. Consequently, today, there are a total of 72 pairs of which 65 have bred, producing 40 chicks – whereas the previous highest number of chicks fledged was 26, in 2019. The UK’s tallest bird was first reintroduced in 1979 when a small number returned to Norfolk’s Boards. “The population is rapidly expanding,” notes Damon Bridge, chairman of the UK Crane Working Group.