Red-billed choughs are re-establishing themselves in Kent, with the county’s population now standing at 35 birds following a summer in which eight wild-born chicks successfully fledged. Kent Wildlife Trust confirmed the figure this week, noting that the latest additions take the total number of wild-born choughs to nine since the species returned to the county. The recovery, led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust alongside Paradise Park in Cornwall, launched in 2019 to bring choughs back to Kent after more than 200 years. According to the Kent Wildlife Trust report, the first captive-reared birds were released above Dover in 2023, and the population has grown through a mix of further releases and, more recently, wild breeding. Choughs are also spreading beyond their original base around Dover, with regular sightings now reported across Thanet and Folkestone.
First choughs were released in Kent in 2023
The first successful release of captive-reared choughs took place in 2023, when eight young birds were released above Dover. The birds came from the conservation breeding programme managed by Paradise Park, with chicks bred at both Paradise Park and Wildwood Trust being used for releases. The project has since combined carefully managed releases with breeding in the wild. The conservation team had used recall training to assess how the birds responded to the landscape. During these sessions, the choughs explored the east Kent coast and surrounding countryside, foraging in stubble fields, mixing with other corvids and investigating possible roosting and nesting sites. A planned release in autumn 2022 was postponed because of poor weather and strong winds, with the birds’ welfare prioritised by the project team.
Nine wild-born choughs join Kent’s growing population
The project reached another stage in 2025, when the first chick successfully fledged in the wild since the chough’s return to Kent. In summer 2026, eight more wild-born chicks fledged. Kent Wildlife Trust said this brought the total number of wild-born choughs to nine and contributed to a growing population of 35 choughs in Kent.Kent Wildlife Trust reports that choughs are now regularly being spotted across Thanet and Folkestone, indicating that they are extending their range within the county. A further eight parent-reared birds are due to be released in early September 2026 as the programme continues.
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Habitat restoration helped bring choughs back to Kent
The return of the chough has followed decades of work to restore suitable habitat in East Kent. Kent Wildlife Trust has worked with partners, the National Trust, English Heritage and the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership, to restore internationally important chalk grasslands and reintroduce conservation grazing. This work has helped maintain landscapes capable of supporting the growing chough population.Funding from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme will support Wildwood Trust research using DNA analysis to examine the diet of Kent’s choughs, alongside surveys of important foraging habitats. The research is intended to identify suitable areas for expansion and inform habitat management as the wild population becomes established.
