Black grouse breed on North York Moors for first time in 200 years

Translocation project success

Black grouse have successfully bred on the North York Moors for the first time since the 1840s, following a translocation project that moved 20 birds from the North Pennines last autumn.

The Black Grouse Range Expansion Project, led by the GWCT and funded by Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, saw 10 males and 10 females relocated to the moors. Of the birds that survived until spring, seven males established leks and all seven females nested.

Historic achievement

Five nests hatched successfully, fledging a total of 12 chicks – four females each raised broods of one, two, four and five young. Dr Phil Warren from GWCT said the birds had “settled well, established leks and, most importantly, bred successfully”.

The project was made possible by donor estates in the North Pennines and keepers on the North York Moors, who provided suitable habitat and predator control.

Headkeeper’s comments

Jimmy Brough, headkeeper on the Rosedale and Westerdale estate where the birds were released, credited landscape-scale habitat management across multiple estates for the success. “This work is privately funded by grouse moor managers and benefits the public who come to see the wonderful wildlife of the moors,” he added.

Black grouse are a Red List species, with 96% of remaining populations found on moorland managed for red grouse. A further 20 birds will be translocated this autumn to bolster numbers.

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