Concern as Irish corncrake population nearly halves in three years

There has been a further decline in corncrake (Crex crex) numbers recorded during the 2017 breeding season, according to a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) cited by nature conservation group Birdwatch Ireland. In the past three years, the number of breeding pairs has dropped dramatically from 230 in 2014 to 140 in 2017. Conservative estimates put the population at the beginning of the 20th century in the tens of thousands. However, this fell to an estimated 4,000 by the 1960s.. The decline in corncrakes corresponds with the replacement of traditional farming systems by modern agricultural methods.

Source: Irish Farmers Journal, 5 February 2018
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/concern-as-corncrake-population-nearly-ha…