“Cranes, the birds that are sometimes called ‘the ribeyes of the sky’, were once considered so tasty that they were hunted almost to extinction.

The birds — at 1.2m Britain’s tallest — were a staple of medieval banquets and their tender breast meat was compared to bacon or beef.

They were wiped out in Scotland almost 500 years ago and their survival was doubtful elsewhere in Europe. But slowly and surely they have fought and flown back from the brink.

Scientists in Scotland have had a handful of nesting pairs under observation for more than a decade. Now they are confident they can say the species is re-established north of the border.”

From The Times.