Numbers of breeding woodcock in the UK are in decline

The survey, carried out by the BTO and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) covered the decade to 2013. It shows the woodcock’s breeding population was estimated at 55,241 males – a 29 % decline since 2003. The percentage of wooded survey squares occupied by the species decreased from 47 %in 2003 to 37% in 2013. Annual counts from occupied sites monitored between 2003 and 2013 also indicate a decrease in abundance of 40 % during the 10-year period. As their common name implies, the woodcocks Scolopax rusticola are woodland birds. They feed at night or in the evenings, searching for invertebrates in soft ground with their long bills.

Read more: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Resident-breeding-woodcock-numbers-…
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Other source: Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodcock