Birdwatchers to blame for putting capercaillies off sex

Man's predatory habits are the usual reason for wild species becoming endangered but the capercaillie is at risk simply because birdwatchers are putting it off its stride.

Man's predatory habits are the usual reason for wild species becoming endangered but the capercaillie is at risk simply because birdwatchers are putting it off its stride.

A wildlife expert has warned that prying eyes are deterring the large grouse from mating and said they could die out if they are not left to get on with their elaborate courtship in private. Kenny Taylor, who used to work for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said in the latest issue of the trust's magazine that capercaillies could be wiped out within 10 years if humans did not stop watching them.

His advice was simple: "Value the idea and the image but don't go to the show."

Over-eagerness to watch the birds was "unappealing", he said and was one of the factors that was "pushing Scotland's capercaillie to the floor".

Dr Taylor said the capercaillie, whose Gaelic name means horse of the forest, was declining at a rate of 17 per cent a year. Only 1,000 were left and only a few hundred of those were hens. "At only five or six years of age, hens' scope to boost the population may be limited, however much they take to the local talent at the local lek [site where males and females gather during the breeding season]," he said.

The courting dance of the male capercaillie is elaborate. He will puff out his throat feathers, flutter his red eyelashes and strut about while making a series of clicking and rattling noises culminating in a popping sound.

"They can be prima donnas and take the huff if voyeurs venture too close," Dr Taylor said. "And when a capercaillie exits the mating stage in a hurry he might not return for a while."

If he did return, only to find more birdwatchers, that could well be the end of the whole procedure, Dr Taylor warned. "It is an unappealing thought that the final curtain for Scotland's largest game bird could fall because of birdwatchers over-keen to watch its sexual antics."

Switch your Gas & Electricity and save up to £380 with Independent Compare