GWCT launches survey into gamebird impact on reptiles

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust has announced a new research initiative to examine whether the release of pheasants and red-legged partridges in some areas could be affecting local indigenous reptile populations.

The study, led by the GWCT’s research department, is calling on farmers, gamekeepers and conservation site managers to record reptile sightings during summer and early autumn on land with and without gamebird releases.

The project aims to compare activity levels between release and non-release sites to investigate whether predation by pheasants and partridges may be influencing numbers of species such as slow worms, lizards and grass snakes.

Dr Rufus Sage, head of lowland game research at the GWCT, said: “While there is currently little solid evidence of an effect, it is very plausible that pheasants in particular might predate snakes or lizards at certain times of the year.”

Released birds typically overlap with reptile activity between midsummer and autumn, when gamebird numbers are at their highest. The GWCT’s existing guidelines already advise caution when releasing near ancient woodland or heathland, due to possible reptile presence.

This new survey will complement ongoing research by the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent.

Related article: Do pheasants threaten adder populations?