research suggests habitat changes and other predators could be responsible for decline in numbers
Raven unfairly blamed for drop in wading birds – report
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It is associated with death, superstition and the security of the British Crown – but now the reputation of the much-maligned raven has been given a boost.
The portentous bird’s cunning and wily nature has led to it becoming steeped in myth, legend and folklore but concerns that it is responsible for dramatic declines in the numbers of wading birds are unfair, says a new report.
Myth has it that if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it.
The predators, which eat the eggs and chicks of some birds, have been subjected to historic persecution by farmers and gamekeepers. Ravens declined rapidly in the 20th century but have since begun to recover.
A new study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Aberdeen University’s Centre for Environmental Sustainability investigated whether there was any link between an increase in ravens – members of the corvid family – and a 50% decline in wading birds such as lapwing, dunlin, golden plover, snipe and curlew.
The research, published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology and funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), found little evidence of an association and that changes to habitat, and increases in other predators, could be responsible instead.
It will be used by SNH, the licensing authority, to inform any decisions relating to the control and management of ravens.
Arjun Amar, a senior conservation scientist with RSPB, said: “Increases in raven numbers have raised legitimate concerns among other groups, because of their perceived impact on prey species, and this can lead to conflict between land managers and conservation organisations.
“We hope that this new research will help the licensing authorities balance the need to safeguard populations of vulnerable, recovering predators, while at the same time acknowledging and addressing concerns over increasing predator populations.”
Author Esther Woolfson, who keeps corvids, including a rook called Chicken and a crow called Ziki, at her Aberdeen home, welcomed the research. She said: “The importance of this research is that ravens are protected and the Scottish Government has to grant licences for killing them. The fewer licences that are granted the better.
“A lot of people have the wrong idea about ravens and are quick to ask for permission to kill them.
“In fact we need more of them. Scotland needs to protect its natural heritage.”
