CAPE TOWN, March 17 (Xinhua) -- A recent study found that intensive farming environments may be undermining the breeding success of the iconic Blue Crane, South Africa's national bird, raising concerns about the species' long-term survival.

According to a statement released by the University of Cape Town on Tuesday, the study, conducted by researchers from its FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and the International Crane Foundation/Endangered Wildlife Trust, suggested that agricultural landscapes were reducing reproductive success and could threaten one of the country's most important crane populations.

The study, published in Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology, compared the breeding of Blue Cranes in the Western Cape wheatlands with those in natural grasslands and the Karoo region.

It found that Blue Cranes bred more successfully in the Karoo and grasslands than in the heavily farmed wheat-growing areas of the Overberg and Swartland.

Blue Crane pairs in more natural habitats produced close to one fledgling per breeding attempt, while those in wheatlands produced roughly half as many. Around two-thirds of pairs in the grasslands and Karoo produced at least one chick, compared with only about 40 percent in the agricultural regions.

"These differences are worrying because the Western Cape wheatlands hold some of the highest densities of Blue Cranes anywhere in the world. If breeding productivity remains low, it could help explain the population declines observed in the region in recent years," said Christie Craig, the study's lead researcher.

The study also found declining recruitment of young birds. Between 2019 and 2021, juveniles made up about 4 percent of winter flocks in the Overberg and 3.6 percent in the Swartland -- roughly half the proportion recorded three decades ago.

Researchers said that agricultural landscapes may act as "ecological traps," where birds were attracted to seemingly suitable habitats that ultimately reduced survival and reproductive success. Farming activities such as harvesting, disturbance near nests and increased predation were believed to contribute to chick mortality.

The study emphasized that cooperation with farmers would be essential, with measures such as reducing disturbances near nests and modifying farm infrastructure potentially helping to improve breeding outcomes. ■