‘You could single-handedly push it to extinction’: how social media is putting our rarest wildlife at risk

While many birders are respectful, even slight disruption during breeding season can make the difference between birds breeding or not. Photograph: Steve Young/Alamy

With its impressive size, striking plumage and rowdy displays, sighting a capercaillie is many birders’ dream. Only about 530 of the large woodland grouse survive in the wild in Scotland, most in the Cairngorms national park.

But in recent years, those tasked with saving the species from extinction have had to walk a line between calling attention to the birds’ plight and discouraging people from seeking them out.