A conservation effort to save a ‘giant’ species of grouse from extinction in the Cantabrian mountains is having some success.
The Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) can be found in high mountain forests in two areas in the north of Spain.
The population in the Pyrenees lives between 1,700 metres and 2,000 metres above sea level and is not under threat.
However, the smaller nucleus in the Cantabrian mountains, living between 1,200m and 1,600m, is classified as being in critical danger.
Numbers had slumped below 200 during the last decade, when a working group was formed to protect the bird and help it to recover.
Figures from the ministry for the ecological transition state that between 2019 and 2024 the Cantabrian population increased by 8%, from 191 to 209 individuals.
Two thirds of these Capercaillies are in the province of León, with the remainder in Asturias.
“The results of the 2024 census show that there is still a long and complex route to cover in order to be able to save the Capercaillie from the threat of extinction,” noted a ministry spokesperson.
They said it was too early to draw conclusions about the latest figures or the efforts being made to protect the bird.
“Never-the-less, this is the first time that we have detected a halt in the decline in the species in recent times,” added the spokesperson.
As well as protecting the nests and eggs of the Capercaillie, they are carrying out works to improve the habitat of the bird.
“Forest management work is being undertaken to replicate the zones which are most favoured by the Capercaillie,” they said.
A breeding-in-captivity programme is also underway; they aim to be able to release between 80 and 100 birds a year once the operation is in full swing, with the first of them programmed for next year.
How to identify the big beautiful
According to the RSPB, the Capercaillie is a huge woodland grouse – and the large black males are unmistakable.
They spend a lot of time feeding on the ground, but may also be found in trees, eating shoots and buds, they note.
In Scotland, they breed in native pinewood, a rare and vulnerable habitat, and in commercial conifer tree plantations.
The RSPB notes: “The UK capercaillie population has declined so rapidly that it is at very real risk of extinction and is a ‘Red List’ species.”
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