A record number of choughs have been observed nesting along the Cornish coastline this summer, a development that a bird conservation charity has described as evidence of the species' robust health. RSPB England reported that 161 choughs were counted in Cornwall, an increase of 32 birds from the 129 recorded in 2025.
The new population count stems from 56 successful breeding pairs, with each nest averaging three fledglings. Choughs, a protected species, had previously disappeared from Cornwall in the 1970s. Their return began in 2001 when three birds, believed to have originated from Ireland, landed at Lizard Point, initiating the rebreeding of the population.
Peter Hall, a National Trust volunteer who has monitored chough nest sites for 11 years, expressed his surprise at the current numbers. "The past two winters we have been blessed with chatterings in excess of 20 chough around the Lizard - a far cry from the solitary single pair we had when I started as part of the then nest protection team in 2016," Hall stated. He added that he had not anticipated monitoring so many sites, "certainly not having 16 choughlets fledge."
The Lizard peninsula serves as the primary breeding ground for the Cornish chough. This year, eight nests on the peninsula produced 26 chicks, an increase of 11 chicks compared to 2025. The charity indicated that the overall productivity of Cornish chough nests averaged three fledglings.
