Game bird faces second extinction

A rare and eccentric game bird could become extinct for a second time in Britain because of global warming, an RSPB report warned today.

Numbers of the capercaillie, a protected species which is as big as a chicken, have sunk to less than 1,000 from 20,000 15 years ago. Warm and wet summers in Scots pine forests mean capercaillie chicks running across the forest floor die from the damp on cold nights.

The bird, which survives in Scandinavia and across Siberia, is good to eat and was hunted to extinction but reintroduced in the 18th century for shooting. It thrived.

Despite being heavily protected and efforts being made to recreate the best pine wood habitats, the capercaillie has continued to decline. Since it survives in Siberia, it is the damp rather than cold that is causing the problem.

The bird known as the cock of the woods is prized by fly fishermen for catching trout and salmon. Stealing feathers, however, can be hazardous since the bird attack humans.

RSPB spokesman Andrew South said: "They have a reputation for being a bit mad. There was a famous bird in Abernethy that used to attack Land Rovers." The RSPB's report, The State of the UK's Birds 2001, reveals that milder winters in Europe could mean other birds that now migrate to Britain to find more favourable climates stay away.