Alan Harris The return of the Red-billed Chough to Richard Meyer

ABSTRACT The decline of the Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax across southern Britain was caused mainly by human activities, and resulted in its extinction as an English breeding species. Examination of the species’ current status and feeding ecology in West , and of habitat availability in , is used to assess the feasibility of an assisted return to southwest England.Wild ‘cliffscape’, with plentiful earth exposure, is optimal habitat, especially if backed up by sympathetic pastoral agriculture. Extensive vacant habitat in Cornwall appears to be at least the equal of that which exists in Wales.

hen the last wild English Red- an important region of historical occurrence. billed Chough Pyrrhocorax With extinction in Cornwall, the southern- Wpyrrhocorax died in Cornwall in most part of the UK population became that 1973 (Penhallurick 1978), a Celtic icon in West Wales, and the small and threatened steeped in romance and an Arthurian legend relict Breton population became isolated disappeared. The return of the Duchy’s (fig. 1).As the species is an indicator of mar- national , once known as ‘the Cornish itime-cliff vigour (Cordrey 1996), its re-estab- Chough’, is eagerly anticipated (Darke 1971). lishment would have implications for an Re-establishment would bolster the United entire ecosystem. Kingdom status of the species, and recapture A largely sedentary species, the Red-billed

British 93: 249-252, May 2000 249 Meyer: Return of the Red-billed Chough

Chough will probably need help if it is to regain old haunts south of the Severn Estuary. First, there are some fundamental questions: ‘What are its ecological requirements in southwest Britain?’, ‘Why did it die out in Cornwall, but not in Wales?’ and, the key sup- plementary, ‘Are there sig- nificant ecological differences today between the two regions?’. The Red-billed Chough in England The Red-billed Chough is Britain’s rarest resident crow.Nowhere else across its pan-Palearctic range is it dependent on warm maritime cliffs (Coombs 1978; Goodwin 1986). In western Britain, at the edge of its climatic range, the species could not survive in the face of mod- ernising post-Industrial Revolution agriculture (since about 1750) allied Fig. 1. Breeding-season distribution of Red-billed with opportunistic human Chough Pyrrhocorax persecution. An east-to- pyrrhocorax in Britain and west (Kent to Cornwall) in 1988-91 retraction was well (from Gibbons, Reid & traditional pas- Chapman 1993) and in Brittany underway by the start of in 1970-75 (after Guermeur & toralism yet the nineteenth century Monnat 1980). shunned Man, had its (Johns 1863; Rolfe 1966; cliff fastnesses invaded by Owen 1988; Meyer 1991; Holloway 1996). romantic Victorians. The Red-billed Chough Although no threat whatsoever to Man, could retreat no farther, unlike its Welsh and Red-billed Choughs were inevitably damned French cousins, and the Cornish population as crows. A downward spiral of increasing was doomed. rarity, egg-collection, and capture for tro- Ironically, a century later, during the plan- phies and pets had its denouement in the far ning of a possible re-establishment pro- west as the Cornish tin-mining crash in the gramme, two individuals (probably vagrants 1870s caused miners’ crofts (which broke up from Wales) were found by Steve Madge on open ground), pit ponies and other livestock the Rame Peninsula, west of Plymouth.They (traditionally grazed on clifftops) to vanish, stayed for most of winter 1986/87 and, allowing chough feeding habitat to scrub although subsidiary to the primary research, over. Finally, when railways opened up the provided unique data that helped to flesh far West Country in the late nineteenth out otherwise anecdotal and historical century,this species, which thrived alongside Cornish information (Meyer 1990).

250 British Birds 93: 249-252, May 2000 Meyer: Return of the Red-billed Chough

Main aspects The future of research Re-establishing lost species was called ‘cre- The following is a brief résumé of research ative conservation’ by the Nature Conser- findings which may be found in detail in vancy Council in 1985: offering respite for Meyer (1991; in prep.). Pembrokeshire – 100 besieged nature and encouragement to con- km away as any crow might fly – contains servationists and fundraisers. Although re- the nearest occupied chough habitat to establishment of the Red-billed Chough has Cornwall, and also the most similar. Two none of the potential for conflict with hundred 1-km squares in Wales and Cornwall human rural activities, unlike contemporary were surveyed in detail, each being mapped raptor schemes, there are still important cri- for vegetation, topography and land use, teria to consider. These may be summarised giving, in all, 1.5 million packets of informa- as: tion, and these data were digitised to enable comparison in the future by satellite moni- • Cause of the original decline toring. The same squares were transposed • Availability of suitable habitat and food onto Tithe maps of the 1840s for historical resources comparison over 150 years of chough • Source of founder population and decline. Data obtained from some 500 hours arrangements for post-release monitoring of observations of choughs feeding in dif- ferent habitats were related to habitat avail- It has been asserted that, if left alone, the ability (Meyer 1991). Red-billed Chough may recolonise naturally, Only two habitats created by modern but the occurrence of vagrants from Wales, farming were used, and these only negligibly. Brittany or Ireland (all incurring flight dis- Traditional pastoralism (with arable compo- tances of at least 100 km) has been very spo- nents in autumn and winter) is important in radic. A captive-breeding programme based (Monaghan et al. 1989), but in West in Hayle, Cornwall, is generating birds geneti- Wales choughs spent over 64% of their time cally consistent with neighbouring popula- on coastal cliffs. With unimproved clifftop tions. pasture included, usage increased to over Regional differences that existed 150 80%. Several maritime botanical communities years ago disappeared as lowland agriculture are valuable, especially those characterised and land-use practices became standardised by well-drained, often shallow soils out of in England and Wales. Islands provide, rela- reach of humans and livestock, and therefore tive to landmass, the greatest length of coast- ungrazed (Evans et al. 1989). line and, of course, always have southerly Eccentric or untidy management may be and westerly facets. The scarcity of these exploited heavily.The chough’s diet is mainly ideal potential sites off the English coast will ground-living invertebrates, hence the need not assist recolonisation, but a plicate coast- for largely frost-free conditions. Clumped line, with many promontories and a full food, such as ants – fed exclusively to range of aspects, is preferable to an unsuit- nestlings – are exploited in season. Labels able island. ‘With much of the coastline such as ‘untidy’ reflect a human perspective, under some form of designation or protec- but illustrate the chough’s ability to exploit tive ownership … there are today few major sympathetic human activity. Usually, it helps threats to this resource in the south-west’ to look at habitat from an animal’s perspec- (Cordrey 1996). tive. For example, it is often said that Red- Choughs now enjoy public goodwill, billed Choughs require ‘short-grazed turf’ which will aid their protection even in areas (e.g. Bignal & McCracken 1993; Saunders popular with tourists, such as The Lizard, 1993), yet short grass merely allows access West Penwith and Land’s End. Climate and to the substrate and is not of itself a morphography make these promontories resource. Short turf was in fact used for only virtual islands. Survival for more than six 13% of feeding time, while exposed substrate months of the two individuals which (important for invertebrates: Key 2000) was appeared at Rame Head, where there was no utilised for more than three-quarters. history of occupancy, suggests that potential habitat exists elsewhere. Further sites have

British Birds 93: 249-252, May 2000 251 Meyer: Return of the Red-billed Chough been identified on remote stretches through often without being noticed, even by bird- north Devon to Somerset (Meyer & Gowen- watchers. lock 1996). At the top of a short food chain, the Red- Since natural cliff-systems alone are billed Chough is a good indicator of mar- unlikely to be sufficient, land management itime-cliff vigour. The species’ presence is will be required in key areas. Human pres- indicative of a dynamic and complex mar- sure – both from local residents and from vis- itime-cliff vegetation supporting a rich inver- iting tourists – can be dangerous near a nest tebrate biomass. Appropriate land manage- or if persistent, but it is rarely a problem ment enhances this. Many species of crow because of the Red-billed Chough’s early take advantage of the opportunities created breeding season (eggs April-June; nestlings by Man, and, while the Red-billed Chough May-July). Coastal paths are busy for only a takes its place in this pantheon, Man should few hours each side of noon during the post- not promote himself as the sole agent of its breeding season, when, in any case, the survival. Indeed, by exploiting natural choughs are less vulnerable. By switching refugia, the species once inhabited Britain feeding grounds or dropping down the cliff- without human assistance (Owen 1985), face, the choughs can avoid human beings, though often, presumably,rather sparsely.

Acknowledgments Guermeur, Y., & Monnat, J.-Y. 1980. Histoire et The research project was core-funded by Paradise Géographie des Oiseaux de Bretagne. Brest. Park, Hayle, Cornwall. Sincere gratitude is owed to all Holloway, S. 1996. The Historical Atlas of Breeding those who supported the project and helped in its Birds in Britain and Ireland, 1875-1900. London. execution, particularly HRH the Duke of Cornwall, Pat Johns, C.A. 1863. A Week in the Lizard. London. Monaghan, Stephen Evans, Jane Hodges, Bob Haycock, Key, R. 2000. Bare ground and the conservation of Ian Bullock, Steve Madge, Clive Mackay and Lyn invertebrates. British Wildlife 11: 183-191. Jenkins. I also wish to thank Mike Kent for his help in Meyer, R. M. 1990. Observations on two Red-billed the production of this short paper, and Yvon Choughs in Cornwall: habitat use and food intake. Guermeur and Jean-Yves Monnat for information on Bird Study 37: 199-209. status and distribution in Brittany. Permission to — 1991.The feeding ecology of the Red-billed Chough reproduce the map from Gibbons, Reid & Chapman in West Wales, and the feasibility of re-establishment (1993) was granted by T.& A. D. Poyser Ltd. in Cornwall. PhD thesis, Univ. of Glasgow. — & Gowenlock, J. 1996. Chough re-establishment in References Cornwall: site surveys in Devon and Cornwall. Bignal, E., & Curtis, D. J. 1988. Choughs and Land-use Internal report for the RSPB and National Trust. in Europe, the Proceedings of an International Monaghan, P., Bignal, E., Bignal, S., Easterbee, N., & Workshop on the Conservation of the Chough, McKay, C. 1989. The distribution and status of the Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, in the E.C.Tarbert. Chough in Scotland. Scot. Birds 14: 114-118. — & McCracken, D. 1993. Nature conservation and Nature Conservancy Council. 1985. Corporate Plan pastoral farming in the British uplands. British 1986-1991. Peterborough. Wildlife 4: 367-376. Owen, D.A. L. 1985. Factors affecting the status of the Coombs, F.1978. The Crows: a study of the corvids of Chough in Britain, with observations on its Europe. London. behaviour. DPhil thesis, Univ. of Oxford. Cordrey, L. (ed.) 1996. The Biodiversity of the South- — 1988. Factors affecting the status of the Chough in West: an audit of the South-West biological England and Wales; 1780-1980. In: Bignal, E., & resource. RSPB & County Wildlife Trusts. Curtis, D. J., Choughs and Land-use in Europe, the Darke,T.O. 1971. The Cornish Chough.Truro. Proceedings of an International Workshop on the Evans, S. B., Meyer, R. M., & Haycock, R. J. 1989. Conservation of the Chough, Pyrrhocorax Botanical survey of key Pembrokeshire Chough pyrrhocorax, in the E.C. Tarbert. feeding sites. Unpubl. report, NCC Dyfed-Powys. Penhallurick, R. 1978. The Birds of Cornwall.Truro. Gibbons, D.W., Reid, J. B., & Chapman, R.A. 1993. The Rolfe, R. 1966.The status of the Chough in the British New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Isles. Bird Study 13: 221-236. Ireland: 1988-1991. London. Saunders, D. 1993.The Pembrokeshire islands. British Goodwin, D. 1986. Crows of the World. London. Wildlife 5: 94-103. Dr Richard Meyer, Rosehill House, High Street, Padstow, Cornwall PL28 8BB

252 British Birds 93: 249-252, May 2000 TYPE LOCALITY: England. Definitions. PYRRHOCORAX. (Corvidae; Ï® Red-billed Chough P. pyrrhocorax) Specific name Upupa pyrrhocorax Linnaeus, 1758; "Pyrrhocorax. Coracias. Cornish Chough or Daw. le Coracias ou Choucas rouge" (Tunstall 1771 (1880 repr.)); "Pyrrhocorax Tunstall, 1771, Orn. Brit., p. 2. Type, by monotypy, "Cornish Chough," i.e., Upupa pyrrhocorax Linnaeus." Red- billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of , Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rebcho1.01. The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough (/ˈtʃʌf/ CHUF; Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the western coasts of Ireland and Britain east through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia, India and China. The red-billed chough stands proud on the Cornish coat of arms but the species became extinct in the Duchy in 1947, denuding Cornwall of one of its most charismatic birds and cultural symbols. The return of choughs to Cornwall has been very significant, not just in terms of conservation but in terms of Cornwall’s cultural heritage.†​ The new Cornish chough population is now going from strength to strength; five pairs bred successfully in 2012. The future success of the population is being ensured by conservation organisations and farmers who are working to provide suitable habitat, and by volunteers who provide round-the-clock surveillance of nests.