Black grouse are not found in many parts of the UK

The small population in Wales has risen by almost 30% since the results of the first major survey a decade ago.

Numbers fell by almost 30% in Scotland - which still has 66% of the UK population. In England, numbers stayed the same.

There are 5,100 males in the UK, and Wales has 213.

Calculations are based on males because they are the most visible of the species, carrying out flamboyant displays to attract partners.

Patrick Lindley, upland species officer with the bird conservation charity RSPB Cymru, said the new figures for the UK - released on Monday - were generally disappointing, apart from the news for Wales.

BLACK GROUSE FACTS Male: glossy blue-black plumage, striking red wattles, curved black tail feathers; females are camouflaged in reddish brown plumage More than 20 males can gather on early spring mornings. Males strut to show off their tail feathers and accompany their circular display with a cooing, bubbling song to attract females. After mating, male birds go in search of another partner The males measure 55cm from bill to tail, have a wingspan of 80cm and weigh around 1.25kg; females 40cm, have a 65cm wingspan and weigh about 950g.

"If the trend continues, it could soon be a conservation catastrophe," he said.

The black grouse is one of the hardest species to help because it has demanding habitat requirements.

It needs dense vegetation, cover for nesting and protection from predators and mature woodland for winter food.

Pairs also need boggy areas, which are home to insects for chicks.

The species was once widespread in Wales and found in Meirionnydd, Montgomeryshire, Carmarthenshire, Breconshire and Ceredigion.

It is now confined to the uplands of north and mid Wales, but the increase in numbers has given conservationists reason to be optimistic. One of the best places to see the male birds displaying or "lekking" is in Coed Llandegla in Denbighshire.

Agencies in other parts of the UK plan to replicate Welsh conservation projects, in the hope of achieving similar success.

The Welsh Black Grouse Recovery Project was launched in June 1999 to halt the bird's serious decline from 264 males in 1986 to 131 in 1997. Without it, the species could have been extinct in Wales by 2010.

'Partnership approach'

Funding from the European Union, the Welsh Assembly Government, the RSPB, Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), and Forestry Commission Wales allowed habitats in six key areas of north and mid Wales to be improved and managed specifically for black grouse.

Mr Lindley said: "The success of our partnership work here in Wales shows that the right habitat measures in the right places are effective."

Si�n Whitehead, CCW's senior ornithologist, said the rise in numbers in Wales was encouraging.

"The progress that has been made in conserving the Welsh black grouse population is a good example of what can be achieved through partnership working," she said.