‘We are hopeful’: small signs of recovery for Scotland’s rare capercaillie bird

There were more than 20,000 capercaillies in Scotland in the 1970s, but numbers have plummeted to about 532. Photograph: Stefano Sudaro/Getty Images/500px

After decades of decline, there are signs of hope for the capercaillie, one of Britain’s most endangered birds.

Populations of the charismatic grouse, which in the UK is found only in the Caledonian pine forests of the Scottish Highlands, have increased by 50%, from 20 males in 2020 to 30 in 2025 at RSPB Abernethy.