Twenty black grouse were moved from the North Pennines to the North York Moors in 2024; the next breeding season produced 12 chicks, likely the area’s first successful breeding in nearly 200 years

Wildlife conservation is tricky. The goal is never just to sustain the animal’s population but also to make the habitat and surrounding conditions suitable for them to reproduce and establish a population. The black grouse, a fairly rare bird in the United Kingdom, has brought encouraging news as part of a conservation effort. But can you imagine the possible return of a species to an area where it once thrived? After nearly two centuries without any reliable records of successful breeding in the North York Moors, the birds have now successfully fledged 12 chicks in the area, offering hope for their return.According to a report published by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) on September 22, 2025, 20 black grouse were moved from their stronghold in the North Pennines to the North York Moors during the autumn of 2024. The translocation was part of the Black Grouse Range Expansion Project, an initiative that was led by the GWCT with the aim of expanding the range of one of Britain’s rarest birds.Researchers caught the birds, including 10 males and 10 females, at their night-time roosting sites and took them to the release location, where they fitted 16 of the 20 translocated birds, comprising 8 males and 8 females, with radio tags to monitor their movements and survival. But by spring, 7 males and 7 females remained in the area.

(Image credit: Canva)

The results from the first breeding season were particularly encouraging. Of the seven males that remained in the area by spring, all established what are known as leks. These are traditional display grounds where male black grouse gather and perform elaborate displays to attract females and compete for mating opportunities. The birds use these gatherings as part of their breeding behaviour, making them an important part of the species’ reproductive cycle.The females also started nesting in surrounding areas. All 7 females that remained in the area by spring attempted to breed; 5 nests successfully hatched chicks, while two were abandoned. 4 of the 5 females whose nests hatched went on to raise broods of one, two, four and five chicks, respectively. Together, these accounted for 12 chicks that successfully fledged. Although individual females had occasionally been spotted in the area in recent years, the latest findings are likely to mark the first successful breeding there in nearly 200 years.

Why the birds need suitable habitats to survive

However, moving the birds was only one part of the conservation effort. For a species to establish itself in a new landscape, the availability of suitable habitat is equally important. Black grouse depend on a combination of moorland and surrounding farmland habitats, where they can find food, shelter and suitable places to nest.The North York Moors was selected as a potential location following several years of habitat improvements along the fringes of moorland managed for grouse shooting. These included removing conifer woodland and restoring the land to bog, heath and scrub woodland. Moorland grasslands have also been managed to control bracken and encourage the recovery of plants such as bilberry and heather.The project has also involved cooperation between land managers and gamekeepers across different estates. According to the GWCT, targeted predator management, alongside vegetation management, has been important in creating conditions where the birds can breed successfully. Such work needs to take place across a wider landscape rather than being restricted to the immediate release site.

A rare bird that needs conservation attention

Black grouse are classified as a Red List species in the United Kingdom due to the decline in their breeding population. They were once found across every county in England, but their present-day range is largely restricted to the North Pennines, which covers parts of County Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

(Image credit: Canva)

The GWCT reports that the number of displaying males in the North Pennines has remained broadly stable, fluctuating between 1,000 and 2,000 over the past 25 years. However, the fact that 96 per cent of the remaining black grouse are found along the edges of moorland managed for red grouse highlights how restricted their distribution has become. Another challenge has been the geographical separation between existing populations and the North York Moors. The two areas are divided by approximately 30 kilometres of lowland farmland in the Vale of Mowbray, which does not provide suitable habitat for the birds to move through naturally.

What happens next?

A conservation milestone has now been achieved following a reintroduction project that began in 2024. In a report published on June 19, 2026, the GWCT announced that the number of displaying male black grouse recorded across 18 monitored estates had increased from 557 in 2025 to 894 in spring 2026. However, these figures relate to the GWCT’s wider monitoring programme across northern England, not exclusively to the reintroduced population in the North York Moors. This shows a 61% increase in just a year.But the conservation effort, having seen this wonderful success, is now entering its third consecutive year of translocations, according to a report published by Shooting UK in September 2026, which says that another transfer of black grouse to the North York Moors is planned for the autumn.