How cattle may be crucial to survival of black grouse

Further proof has emerged of the benefits to birdlife of grazing cattle, and Scottish livestock farmers have been told they can play an important role in putting one iconic species on a surer footing in Scotland.

The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust has found that black grouse are breeding better in fields grazed by cattle, due to the abundance of the insects young chicks need. The research showed that fields grazed by cattle had twice as many sawfly larvae, a major constituent of the diet of newly hatched black grouse chicks.

Andy McGowan, Head of Industry Development at Quality Meat Scotland, said: "The traditional methods of Livestock rearing favoured throughout Scotland have a part to play in helping support biodiversity."

Dr Phil Warren, one of the researchers for the GWCT, said, "If we can improve the abundance of insects, particularly sawfly larvae, then this could dramatically improve the future survival of this enigmatic bird species in the Uplands. This early research shows that cattle grazing could hold the key."

The GWCT is now working with farmers and landowners with support from the Scottish Rural Development Programme to encourage black grouse recovery.