Conservationists have announced that a record number of cranes successfully bred across the UK during the previous year. This landmark development signals a significant milestone for the species, which has returned from being previously extinct in the country.
The population reached a new high as 87 pairs managed to raise 37 young birds throughout the last season. Experts estimate the total number of individuals now stands at approximately 250, including both adults and younger birds.
The species originally vanished from Britain roughly four centuries ago, following centuries of hunting and the loss of wetland areas. Modern recovery efforts have relied on a combination of natural migration from Europe and intensive conservation projects.
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The birds are easily identified by their one-metre height and impressive two-metre wingspan, alongside their distinctive loud calls. Landowners and environmental groups have worked together to restore the damp marshlands these birds require to raise their young.
The RSPB confirmed that 80% of the breeding population now lives within protected sites, with a significant number residing on their specific reserves. At the Lakenheath Fen site, managers have been actively maintaining reeds and water levels to provide secluded nesting spots, reports Emily Beament.
The ‘Great Crane Project’ has been instrumental in increasing figures by hand-rearing and releasing birds into the Somerset Levels. This partnership between the RSPB, WWT, and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust also involves working closely with local farmers to create safe habitats.
ON THE RISE: Some 87 pairs of cranes reared 37 chicks in 2025 (Image: Ben Andrew/RSPB/PA)
Dave Rogers, a reserve manager, said: “We talk about the UK as being a very nature depleted country, so getting something back as iconic as cranes shows we can change the fortunes of a landscape, and change the fortunes of a species. It’s good for the soul to see something back in the UK, something that’s iconic. They’ve been lost for 400 years, to reverse that decline shows that humans can reverse some of the impacts they’ve had.”
In Lincolnshire, the population at Willow Tree Fen has grown from a single pair to four breeding couples over seven seasons. John Oliver, a local warden, described the trend as a ‘real conservation success’ for the region.
He said: “It demonstrates the resilience of nature and what can be achieved by working together. To reach a population of 250 is a phenomenal achievement, but we still have a way to go.”
Despite the positive data, experts at WWT Slimbridge warned that climate change continues to pose a threat to the delicate wetland environments these birds call home. Martin McGill said: “Their habitats are at risk from the ever-increasing impacts of climate change – making it more important than ever to come together across sectors, to protect and restore bigger, more connected wetlands, so this iconic bird can thrive long into the future.”
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