The captive breeding campaign of the Cantabrian capercaillie has concluded this year with the birth of nine specimens at the breeding centre and genetic reserve of Sobrescobio (Asturias), whose operation is part of the European LIFE+ Cantabrian capercaillie project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment. The advances in captive breeding have been presented at the twelfth meeting of the management committee of the LIFE+ Cantabrian Capercaillie, which has been held in Campo de Caso (Asturias) with the participation of the Biodiversity Foundation and the project partners.
 
Among this year’s milestones, two chicks have been successfully born from the partial removal of a clutch from the wild, which will increase the genetic variability of individuals born in captivity. This is the first time that a clutch has been extracted from the environment within the framework of the LIFE+ Cantabrian Capercaillie, within the program of capture, marking and removal of clutches.
 
Specifically, two eggs were collected from the three eggs laid in the Alto Sil Special Protection Area for Birds (León) by a female captured and radiotagged in 2013 in Asturias. To carry out this action, the protocol established by the Cantabrian Capercaillie Working Group within the framework of the Strategy for the Conservation of the Cantabrian Capercaillie in Spain has been followed.
 
The two chicks from the removal of clutches are in good health. The other seven specimens that have been born to two different females in the breeding center during the last few days are also healthy. One of them has had five chickens and the other two. A critical period begins now for the proper development of chickens that have to be fed correctly to reach two kilos of weight in just a few months.
 
The result of this year’s breeding campaign has improved compared to the previous year, when five specimens were obtained. With these nine new individuals, the Sobrescobio centre now has 23 capercaillies.
 
The LIFE+ Cantabrian Capercaillie is 50% co-financed by the European Union, through the LIFE+ funds, and coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment. It has as partners the autonomous communities of Cantabria, the Principality of Asturias and Castilla y León, the latter through the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León; the Inter-regional Consortium for the coordinated management of the Picos de Europa National Park; SEO/BirdLife and Tragsa and Tragsatec and with the co-financing of the Autonomous National Parks Agency and the Iberdrola Spain Foundation.