RSPB reports record-breaking chough numbers
RSPB England says 161 Choughs have been counted - 32 more than the 129 recorded last year.
A record-breaking number of choughs have nested around the Cornish coastline this summer, according to the RSPB England, indicating the species is thriving. The charity counted 161 choughs in Cornwall, a 32 bird increase from the 129 recorded in 2025. These new arrivals came from 56 successful breeding pairs, with each nest producing an average of three fledglings.
The chough population had been extinct in Cornwall since the 1970s, but returned in 2001 when three birds from Ireland landed at Lizard Point and began re-establishing the population. Peter Hall, a National Trust chough monitoring volunteer, has been observing the nest sites for 11 years and has not anticipated such a significant increase.
He remarked on the abundance of chatterings around the Lizard, contrasting it with the solitary pair when he began his conservation work in 2016. The Lizard is the primary breeding ground for the Cornish chough, with 26 chicks emerging from eight nests on the peninsula, 11 more than in 2025. Lydia Allt, a National Trust volunteer, attributed this exceptional year to a quarter-century of conservation efforts, partnership work, and the support of local farmers and land managers.
Andrew Jones, chough conservation officer for the RSPB in Cornwall, emphasized that the repopulation work would not have been possible without the volunteer effort over the past 25 years. The RSPB and National Trust have had a team of around 50 volunteer chough watchers covering the coastline to monitor breeding efforts and report these record-breaking numbers.
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