The UK’s largest bird is back and its numbers are growing in a stunning example of recovery from the brink of extinction.
The common crane disappeared from Britain’s countryside almost 500 years ago. Hunted to extinction due to its popularity as a centrepiece of medieval banquets, the ‘ribeyes of the sky’ were also presumed to have vanished from mainland Europe.
However, conservation efforts have seen population numbers on the continent gradually recover, and now a group of nesting pairs have ben reintroduced to Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Scientists confirmed they are confident in the ability for the species to reestablish itself in the region.
‘In 2012, we saw the first nesting pair recorded and since then we have seen around six or seven pairs in the northeast,’ Ron Macdonald, a volunteer with the RSPB, which is leading on the project, told STV. ‘The birds are doing particularly well in northern and eastern Europe. They are now seeking out other sites with good food supplies where they can live.’
Cranes can measure 1.2metres in height and boast a wingspan of up to 2.4metres. There are now 250 breeding pairs across the UK, with re-wilding efforts focused on peatlands and wetlands thought to be particularly helpful in encouraging them to return to Britain. Prior to this, one of the last recorded large flocks of the bird was on the Isle of Skye during the 17th Century, with only rare visits reported in the centuries since.
This film documents the hard work that has gone into encouraging cranes to return, their effect on the local community and introduction into education curriculums.
Image: Chris Briggs / Unsplash
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