The Great Capercaillie Lie COUNTRY SQUIRE MAGAZINE

The Great Capercaillie Lie COUNTRY SQUIRE MAGAZINE

BY BERT BURNETTHow Mismanagement and Predation Are Driving Scotland’s Iconic Bird to ExtinctionFor 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 MythIn the 1960s, Scotland’s capercaillie population thrived at around 2…