Grouse and kestrels on the wane as climate crisis hits Scottish wildlife

Black grouse are among the bird species in Scotland whose populations have fallen by more than 50% since the 1990s. Photograph: pum_eva/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Some of Scotland’s most famous bird species, including grouse and kestrels, are among those declining as a result of climate change, a new report has found.

The study, by public body NatureScot, charted the populations of Scotland’s terrestrial breeding birds between 1994 and 2022. It found significant changes to the numbers and species of birds living in the country’s urban, woodland, upland and farmland habitats, in large part due to ­hotter and wetter weather related to the climate crisis.