Cairngorm Capercaillie lek counts rise 30% in one year
Conservationists say the increase in displaying males is an encouraging sign for one of the UK’s most threatened birds, though the population remains highly vulnerable.
The number of male Capercaillie recorded at breeding lek sites in the Cairngorms National Park has risen by 30% this year, offering a rare piece of encouraging news for one of the UK’s most endangered birds.
A total of 170 birds was recorded during the 2026 lek count, up from 131 in 2025. The results are being seen as a significant milestone for the Capercaillie Emergency Plan, led by the Cairngorms National Park Authority and NatureScot, and supported by land managers, conservation organisations and other partners across the National Park.
The increase was recorded across a number of estates and reserves, including Balmoral Estate, Cawdor Estate, Forestry and Land Scotland sites, NatureScot land, RSPB Abernethy, Seafield and Strathspey Estates, and WildLand Cairngorms.
Capercaillie remain in an extremely precarious position in the UK, with the Cairngorms now their last stronghold. The latest figures suggest that several years of conservation work may be beginning to show measurable results, although conservationists caution that continued action will be needed if the population is to recover at scale.
Because male Capercaillie usually begin taking part in leks only when they are two or three years old, this year’s rise is thought to reflect the combined effects of previous good breeding seasons, favourable weather and targeted conservation measures. These have included habitat improvement across the National Park and a coordinated programme of diversionary feeding, now in its fifth year, which has been shown to more than double breeding success.
Efforts to reduce disturbance are also seen as important. The Lek It Be campaign, launched in 2023, asks birders, photographers and wildlife guides not to seek out Capercaillie during the breeding season. The campaign is now in its third year and has helped reduce disturbance at lek sites, with some sites now experiencing no disturbance at all.
Carolyn Robertson, Cairngorms Nature Manager at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “It is incredibly encouraging to see more birds lekking this spring after years of hard work and dedication from land managers, volunteers, rangers, residents and Park Authority and NatureScot staff. It’s a real testament to what can be achieved through working together.
“Continuing that collaboration through the Capercaillie Emergency Plan is essential to build on this progress and improve breeding success and chick survival across the National Park. This is vital to growing the population at scale and securing the long-term future of this iconic species in our Caledonian pine forests.”
Ian Sargent, NatureScot Nature Reserves Manager for Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve, said the survey work itself has to be carried out with great care. “Surveying Capercaillie is a sensitive job which requires good planning and field craft so that these rare birds are disturbed as little as possible,” he said.
He added that it was “really encouraging” to see the increase in lekking birds, and especially to see a few new leks becoming established in 2026. He said improving and expanding healthy habitat across the National Park would remain vital, both for Capercaillie and for wider nature recovery.
The Capercaillie Emergency Plan has been developed by the Cairngorms National Park Authority and NatureScot with support from more than 100 stakeholders. It aims to deliver swift and large-scale measures to tackle the pressures facing the species and help the population recover across the Cairngorms.
For now, the rise in lekking males offers genuine hope. But with such a small and vulnerable population, the message from conservationists remains clear: recovery is possible, but it will depend on sustained habitat work, careful land management and continued protection from disturbance during the breeding season.
May 2026
Get Breaking Birdnews First
Get all the latest breaking bird news as it happens, download BirdAlertPRO for a 30-day free trial. No payment details required and get exclusive first-time subscriber offers.
Share this story
