Highland cattle a boon for black grouse

HIGHLAND cows could be the saviours of Scotland's endangered black grouse, according to new research.

The bird's numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years and only an estimated 5,000 males now gather in mating "leks" in the Scottish uplands.

But Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust researchers have found that upland fields grazed by cattle result in an abundance of the insects that black grouse feed their young chicks on. The scientists have discovered that cattle churn up earth to allow sawfly larvae to flourish, boosting black grouse population numbers.