Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

First Wild-Born Red-Billed Chough Chick Fledges at Dover Castle After 200 Years

Decades of chalk grassland restoration underpin the program’s goal of establishing a wild chough population of around 50 birds.

Proyecto de conservación que permitió recuperar una especie perdida en Kent.
Image
Image

Overview

  • The chick hatched at a Dover Castle nest in spring and fledged this season, marking the first wild-born red-billed chough in Kent since the 1820s.
  • The multi-year reintroduction program launched in 2022 by Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust and Paradise Park releases small family groups of six to 12 captive-reared choughs annually.
  • Decades of habitat restoration have recovered chalk grasslands and implemented conservation grazing to increase invertebrate prey and nesting habitat for choughs.
  • A 2024 breeding attempt at Dover ended when a chick was lost in high winds, highlighting the project’s sensitivity to weather setbacks.
  • Conservation partners will continue annual releases and intensive monitoring as they aim for an autonomous chough population, with Dover Castle serving as an educational hub linking the species to Kent’s cultural heritage.