Because of intensive farming practices, the corncrake is now high on the list of Europe's most endangered wildlife, but ornithologists and other concerned groups and citizens are making a concerted effort to save the species from extinction. In 1996, for the first time in more than ten years, bird-watching enthusiasts reported a rise in the number of "singing" males in all areas, and in 1997 there have been numerous reports of the corncrake's distinctive "Crex! Crex!" in places where that sound has not been heard for a generation.
