Record Year for Scotland’s Tallest Bird After Return From Extinction

Record number of cranes bred in 2025 as UK’s tallest bird continues comeback

Population now totals around 250 birds across the UK, conservationists said. A record number of cranes bred in the UK last year as the once-vanished bird continues its comeback, conservationists said. Cranes went extinct in the country around 400 years ago as a result of over-hunting and the loss of their favoured wetland habitat. But wild recolonisation from Europe since the late 1970s, backed by efforts to protect existing habitat and create n…

Record year for Scotland’s tallest bird after return from extinction

Scotland's tallest species of bird had a record breeding season in 2025 following its return from extinction in the country.