BY BERT BURNETT
How Mismanagement and Predation Are Driving Scotland’s Iconic Bird to Extinction
For decades, conservationists have peddled the same tired excuse for the capercaillie’s catastrophic decline: lack of habitat. But the numbers tell a very different story—one of wasted millions, misguided priorities, and a refusal to confront the real threat: predation.
The Habitat Myth
In the 1960s, Scotland’s capercaillie population thrived at around 20,000 birds. Back then, forestry expansion was in full swing—so much so that foresters culled them as pests. By the 1980s, numbers had plummeted to 2,000, yet habitat coverage was more than sufficient. Fast forward to today, and after £16 million spent on habitat improvement, experts claim just 532 birds remain—locals insist the true figure is closer to 300.
If habitat loss were the issue, why has the population collapsed despite more available habitat than ever before? The surviving 500 capercaillie now have more space than the 2,000 birds did in the 1980s. Clearly, something else is killing them off.
The Real Culprit: Exploding Predator Numbers
Since the 1980s, predator populations have surged:
- Badgers up 50-fold
- Foxes, pine martens, and goshawks up 10 to 30-fold
These predators feast on eggs, chicks, and even adult birds. Yet, rather than tackling this head-on, conservation bodies have poured money into virtue-signalling projects—reintroducing beavers, sea eagles, and kites while ignoring the carnage inflicted by unchecked predators.
The Hypocrisy of Reintroduction Schemes
Black grouse, the capercaillie’s smaller cousin, are being bred and released—so why not capercaillie? In the mid-1800s, a few dozen released birds exploded into a population of 20,000—despite supposedly poorer habitat. Today, with 500 birds left, we have a stronger starting point. Yet, no breeding programme exists.
The reason? Jobs for the “experts.” This scandal isn’t about saving capercaillie—it’s about sustaining a conservation industry that thrives on failure.
Unless predator control is prioritised and a large-scale breeding programme launched, the capercaillie is finished. The current approach—throwing money at habitat projects while ignoring the slaughter—is a farce.
The truth is simple: habitat isn’t the problem. Predators are. And until conservationists admit that, Scotland’s iconic bird will vanish—while the so-called experts keep cashing their cheques.
Bert Burnett is a retired gamekeeper of more than fifty years’ experience.