For the first time in 200 years, the chough, a charming corvid known for its cliff-dwelling habits, has successfully bred in Kent.

Last year, a group of eight birds was released as part of a reintroduction program. Defying expectations, a young pair among them nested on Dover Castle this summer, raising one chick, which successfully fledged in June. This achievement marks an early success for a long-term project to reestablish the species along the Kent coastline.

According to local legend, the chough (pronounced “chuff”) acquired its distinctive red beak and legs after wading through the blood of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was murdered in 1170.

Historically, the species disappeared from much of England due to changing farming practices. However, a small resurgence began in 2001 when three choughs returned to the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Since then, habitat restoration efforts have helped the population grow to 200 birds in Cornwall, where a record 113 chicks fledged in 2023. Successful reintroductions have also taken place in Jersey.

The chough’s return to Kent has required significant habitat restoration. Kent Wildlife Trust has played a major role in bringing back large areas of chalk grassland, creating a suitable environment for the birds. The breed-and-release program has been led by the Wildwood Trust, working in collaboration with Paradise Park in Cornwall.

The chicks bred for release are raised in mixed groups to encourage social bonding, a critical factor for their survival in the wild. Young birds are housed in an aviary near Dover and are carefully trained to find food like beetles and worms by being taken out of the aviary each day for practice.

In addition to their natural training, the birds also receive recall training. This helps them return to the aviary for protection and extra food once released into the wild.

Of the eight birds released last year, seven survived the winter. Though not yet sexually mature, a pair of choughs began nesting at Dover Castle, cleverly choosing a location surrounded by jackdaw nests for protection from predators like peregrine falcons, one of which had claimed a chough earlier that year.

Liz Corry, chough release superviser for Wildwood Trust, said: “We expected the released birds to play with sticks. What we didn’t expect so early on was that they built a nest, laid eggs and incubated them, with one chick surviving.”

The chick that fledged in June sadly went missing after strong gales and has not been seen since July.

“It’s nature, it’s what we expected,” said Corry, “but it was amazing that they bred so soon, and we have a good group of choughs flying around Dover, and they’re being joined by new cohorts from further releases this year.”

Nonetheless, the project continues, grounded in 40 years of chalk grassland restoration led by Kent Wildlife Trust. Dover, located at the end of a network of chalk valleys, has been identified as having ideal habitat for choughs.

Paul Hadaway, the director of conservation for Kent Wildlife Trust, said: “Creating and connecting habitats at scale has been the starting point for the red-billed chough’s journey back. Grazed chalk grassland can contain as many as 40 species per sq metre and supports hundreds of species of invertebrates. It is an incredibly important habitat, and conservation grazing management by animals is crucial to maintaining its diversity.”

The project’s goal is to establish 15 breeding pairs over the next decade, with a focus on ensuring the birds have enough natural food.

A key challenge is the declining population of dung beetles, which are essential to the chough’s diet. The decline has been linked to anti-parasite drugs used in livestock farming, but wildlife-friendly farming methods could help restore these vital invertebrates, supporting the chough’s long-term survival in the region.

Corry added: “The vision is to reestablish a population in Kent and it connects up with other restored populations along the south coast, all the way to the choughs in Cornwall. That’s the big, long-term goal.”

 

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