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Cranes Return to the UK Due to Rewilding Effort in Somerset
Conservationists said 87 breeding pairs raised 37 chicks last year, as protected wetlands and reintroduction efforts drove the comeback.
- The United Kingdom's crane population reached 250 following a record-breaking 2025 breeding season in which 87 pairs successfully reared 37 chicks, conservationists announced.
- Britain's tallest bird disappeared 400 years ago due to over-hunting and wetland destruction, but staged a comeback following natural recolonization from Europe beginning in the late 1970s.
- Lakenheath Fen manager Dave Rogers stated that at least 80% of the breeding population now inhabits protected sites, where habitat management has "made a real difference."
- Willow Tree Fen reserve saw population growth from one to four breeding pairs this year, which Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust warden John Oliver called "a phenomenal achievement."
- A recent study reported 10% of the western flyway population succumbed to avian influenza, leading experts to warn that climate change and disease threaten future crane recovery progress.
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17 Articles
Watford Observer+5 Reposted by 5 other sources
Record number of cranes bred in 2025 as UK’s tallest bird continues comeback
Population now totals around 250 birds across the UK, conservationists said.
·Watford, United Kingdom
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RSPB – UK’s tallest bird, the Crane, has record high year – Mark Avery
UK’s tallest bird, the Crane, has record high year https://markavery.info/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2084023.mp4 A record number of Cranes bred in the UK last year, with 87 pairs raising 37 young, bringing the total to around 250 individuals Cranes went extinct in the UK around four hundred years ago due to overhunting and the loss of wetlands, but thanks to conservation efforts they are now making a steady recovery Cranes are the tallest bird …
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Total News Sources17
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 42%
C 50%
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