By: Jaden Sun

The corncrake is a small and timid bird related to the coot and native to the Belmutts of Ireland. According to urban legends, the corncrake’s sweet call brings summer. However, the population of corncrake is drastically decreasing, and farmers plan to rescue the species at all costs.

Corncrakes evolved to nest and feed on the ground in the loose grass and weeds of natural floodplains, and the bird’s numbers are still strong in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe. However, because of the rapid decline of these marshlands in Ireland, its song is growing increasingly rare.

“Older people still talk about coming home from dances on summer nights and hearing the corncrakes calling from the fields all around them,” said Anita Donaghy, assistant head of conservation at Birdwatch Ireland.

The corncrake is loved by many. But there is the hope of hearing this melody again. In recent years, conservationists, government agencies, and farmers have come together. And through their combined effort, try to reverse the decline in numbers of the corncrakes by bringing back the marshlands of Ireland.