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conservation: Field Cricket Numbers on the Rise Thanks to Conservation Success

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24 June 2025 
By Sarah Hagen

Field cricket residing in burrow by Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

​Once on the brink of extinction, Field Crickets - one of the UK’s rarest invertebrates, are making a remarkable comeback. This year, conservation teams are celebrating the presence of 93 calling males at RSPB Farnham Heath and 12 at RSPB Pulborough Brooks. These numbers reflect years of dedicated habitat restoration and species recovery efforts across southern England.

Measuring just 2cm in length, Field Crickets are stout insects, black or brown in colour with distinctive yellow markings at the base of their intricately patterned wings. Though flightless, they are surprisingly mobile, capable of walking up to 100 metres a day. Their characteristic summer chirping - created by rubbing modified wing veins, is not only a vital part of their mating ritual but also the method used by conservationists to monitor their population.

Field Crickets are confined to sandy heathlands in Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex. By 1991, fewer than 100 individuals remained at a single site due to widespread habitat loss driven by forestry and agricultural changes. In response, Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme (then English Nature) began funding reintroduction efforts and habitat restoration across several sites in the southeast. One milestone came in 2010, when the RSPB successfully translocated Field Crickets to restored heath at Farnham Heath, resulting in a thriving population of over 300 individuals within just nine years.

Building on this success, the RSPB led a new phase of conservation between 2017 and 2021 through the Back from the Brink project, funded by the National Lottery. Crickets were released into new areas of Farnham Heath and onto restored heathland at Pulborough Brooks. Habitat work included clearing scrub, bracken, and bramble to create open patches of bare ground essential for Field Crickets to survive and spread. After more than three decades of effort, the number of occupied sites has increased from just one to eight, with 105 calling males reported on RSPB reserves this year - up from around 90 in 2024.

Mark Crisp, Warden at RSPB Farnham Heath, said:
“The Field Cricket is one of the UK’s rarest invertebrates, and we’re incredibly proud of the role our teams and volunteers have played in its recovery. These crickets are vital to sandy heathland ecosystems, and hearing their calls here for the past 15 years is something worth celebrating.”

Sustaining Field Cricket populations requires long-term heathland management. Keeping these habitats open helps the crickets disperse and establish new colonies, which is crucial to protect them from threats like wildfires. These efforts also support other specialist species such as the Woodlark, solitary bees and wasps, and reptiles including the Sand Lizard and Smooth Snake. Expanding and connecting suitable heathland sites will further boost the resilience of Field Cricket populations.

Nearly 400 volunteers have supported this conservation work. Libby Ralph, a long-time volunteer at RSPB Farnham Heath, shared:
“Being part of this project has taught me so much. I’ve helped with habitat management, assisted with cricket translocations, and taken part in monitoring. It’s amazing to see the difference our work is making. Field Crickets were once a familiar sound of the countryside, and I hope they’ll be widespread again.”

Annual Field Cricket surveys are crucial for tracking progress and guiding conservation. These efforts are made possible thanks to the dedication of thousands of RSPB volunteers. Over 13,000 people volunteer for the charity, making a real impact on wildlife and the environment.
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Want to get involved?
To find out more about volunteering opportunities with the RSPB and how you can support Field Crickets and other wildlife, visit:
👉 www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering

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