The corncrake is red-listed in Ireland due to severe decline in breeding population. The European population is currently evaluated as depleted due to a large historical decline and, in fact, the corncrake is threatened with global extinction.

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The decline of the corncrake is due in most part to intensive farming practices including early mowing to make silage and mechanised hay-making practices which have destroyed nests and driven corncrakes from old habitats. Corncrakes are now confined to areas where difficult terrain precludes the use of machinery.

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Image (c) by Ron Knight used under Creative Commons License BY 2.0.