By: Max Yang

This year, scientists are attempting to pull corncrakes back from the brink of extinction. This little brown bird breeds in tall grassy areas with water nearby. Corncrakes were thriving in the late 20th century in Ireland, but due to a change in agricultural practices, such as cutting the grass for other uses, in Ireland, the corncrakes’ habitats were terminated in that area. This left them with nowhere to breed, leading to the population of this bird rapidly decreasing.

Corncrakes are a magnificent kind of bird. They are usually 27-30 cm long with a wingspan of 42-53 cm. On average, males weigh 165 g. and females weigh 145 g. Corncrakes are excellent flyers, but when they are threatened, their first instinct is to run and hide. Also, during winter in the northern hemisphere (seasons are opposite in northern and southern hemispheres), corncrakes migrate to their feeding places in Africa.

The corncrake population was affected just in Ireland–it was the farmers in that country who changed practices–in the past decades. This tiny bird’s call marked the start of summer. Years ago, the older generations heard this call start the days of warm weather and hay making. They enjoyed it. Now, people rarely hear this call.

To hear this magnificent sound again and restore the biodiversity, scientists are trying to seek a way of restoring the population of corncrakes. Efforts to rescue this kind of bird started in the 1990s. Rules like “no mowing meadows in the spring where corncrakes might breed” didn’t work. Many farmers despised the new rules since they prevent them from cutting the grass for animal feed.

The efforts put in place the 1990s didn’t do much. Today, a new state-led team called Corncrake Life is solving problems from a new angle. Working with farmers to find solutions, the team is preserving and sometimes recreating habitats that corncrakes breed and raise their offspring in. The 25 acres of land that once bore grass is now home to many clumps of nettles and hays—an adequate home for corncrakes.

Fruits of the attempts quickly appeared. A male corncrake settled in one of the habitats right away. Also, scientists found 10 intact corncrake eggs in a nettle bed and rushed them to an incubator where they hatched.

This impressive bird is on the border of extinction in Ireland and scientists and farmers are working valiantly for another chance allowing this bird to thrive in the area. Things are looking good for scientists as the population of corncrakes rise.

Resources: Irish Farmers Help Save a Bird Whose Calls Used to Herald Summer – The New York Times.pdf