Aggregations of breeding birds

Context

Breeding bird features on SSSIs can be notified if they qualify under criteria 3.1, 3.2, 3.6, and 3.8 of Chapter 14 'Birds' of the Guidelines for Selection of Biological SSSIs. In Northern Ireland, ASSIs are selected on a very similar basis – the Guidelines for the Selection of Biological ASSIs in Northern Ireland is an addendum to the SSSI guidelines rather than an alternative.

The criteria essentially cover:

breeding aggregations which contain 1% or more of the national population of a species;
smaller isolated colonies, e.g. of seabirds, herons and sand martins;
upland species, e.g. waders;
locations for rare species.

The Selection Guidelines for Special Protection Areas enable SPAs to be selected where an area is:

used by 1% or more of the Great Britain (or in Northern Ireland the all-Ireland) population of a species on Annex I of the Birds Directive;
used 1% or more of the biogeographic population of a migratory species, or;
used by 20,000 individual breeding seabirds (seabird assemblage). Within the breeding seabird assemblage individual species may be separately listed as qualifying features if their populations exceed 1% of the national population or 2,000 individuals.

Breeding bird populations can also qualify under criteria 5 and 6 (formerly 3a and 3c) of the Ramsar Convention:

Criterion 5. A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.
Criterion 6. A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.

Summary statistics

	SPA	Ramsar	A/SSSI	Total
Favourable condition	76%	92%	71%	73%
Main monitoring coverage	S, W, NI	S, W, NI	S, NI
Reported assessments	350	13	410	773
Completeness of assessments	57%	7%	unknown
Distribution of features				UK

Number of assessments reported by country and site type

Country	SPA	Ramsar	SSSI/ASSI
England	0	0	42
Scotland	322	10	350
Wales	20	0	0
Northern Ireland	8	3	18
United Kingdom	350	13	410

Natura features

List of Natura 2000 interest features within this reporting category

Interest feature name
Formal name	Informal name	No. of assessments reported	Total no. of features	% assessed
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus	Sedge warbler	0	1	0%
Acrocephalus scirpaceus	Eurasian reed warbler	0	2	0%
Actitis hypoleucos	Common sandpiper	0	2	0%
Alca torda	Razorbill	15	18	83%
Alcedo atthis	Common kingfisher	0	1	0%
Anas clypeata(North-western/Central Europe)	Northern shoveler	0	4	0%
Anas crecca(North-western Europe)	Eurasian teal	0	1	0%
Anas penelope(Western Siberia/North-western/North-eastern Europe)	Eurasian wigeon	0	2	0%
Anas platyrhynchos(North-western Europe)	Mallard	0	2	0%
Anas querquedula(Western Siberia/Europe/Western Africa)	Garganey	0	2	0%
Anas strepera(North-western Europe)	Gadwall	0	4	0%
Aquila chrysaetos	Golden eagle	6	8	75%
Asio flammeus	Short-eared owl	3	7	43%
Aythya ferina(North-western/North-eastern Europe)	Common pochard	0	3	0%
Botaurus stellaris(Europe (breeding))	Great bittern	0	5	0%
Burhinus oedicnemus(Western Europe (breeding))	Stone-curlew	0	2	0%
Calidris alpina schinzii	Dunlin	5	6	83%
Calidris alpina schinzii(Baltic/UK/Ireland)	Dunlin	0	2	0%
Caprimulgus europaeus	European nightjar	0	10	0%
Carduelis flavirostris	Twite	0	2	0%
Catharacta skua	Great skua	9	9	100%
Charadrius hiaticula(Europe/Northern Africa (wintering))	Ringed plover	4	7	57%
Charadrius morinellus(Europe (breeding))	Eurasian dotterel	6	8	75%
Circus aeruginosus	Eurasian marsh harrier	1	7	14%
Circus cyaneus	Hen harrier	8	13	62%
Circus pygargus	Montagu’s harrier	0	1	0%
Coturnix coturnix	Common quail	0	1	0%
Crex crex	Corncrake	9	10	90%
Cygnus olor(Britain)	Mute swan	0	1	0%
Emberiza schoeniclus	Reed bunting	0	1	0%
Falco columbarius	Merlin	7	14	50%
Falco peregrinus	Peregrine falcon	2	9	22%
Falco subbuteo	Eurasian hobby	0	2	0%
Fratercula arctica	Atlantic puffin	15	17	88%
Fulica atra(North-western Europe (wintering))	Common coot	0	1	0%
Fulmarus glacialis(North Atlantic)	Northern fulmar	22	24	92%
Gallinago gallinago(Europe (breeding))	Common snipe	0	4	0%
Gallinula chloropus(Europe/Northern Africa)	Common moorhen	0	2	0%
Gavia arctica(Western Siberia/Europe)	Black-throated diver	11	11	100%
Gavia stellata	Red-throated diver	9	10	90%
Haematopus ostralegus(Europe & Northern/Western Africa)	Eurasian oystercatcher	3	4	75%
Hydrobates pelagicus	European storm-petrel	6	8	75%
Hydrobates pelagicus(World)	European storm-petrel	0	1	0%
Larus argentatus(North-western Europe (breeding) and Iceland/Western Europe (breeding))	Herring gull	8	8	100%
Larus canus	Common gull	1	1	100%
Larus fuscus(Western Europe/Mediterranean/Western Africa)	Lesser Black-backed gull	2	6	33%
Larus marinus(North-east Atlantic (breeding))	Greater black-backed gull	5	6	83%
Larus melanocephalus	Mediterranean gull	0	3	0%
Larus ridibundus(North-western Europe (breeding))	Black-headed gull	0	1	0%
Limosa limosa limosa(Western Europe/W Africa)	Black-tailed godwit	0	2	0%
Locustella luscinioides	Savi's warbler	0	1	0%
Locustella naevia	Common grasshopper warbler	0	1	0%
Loxia scotica	Scottish crossbill	0	5	0%
Lullula arborea	Wood lark	0	6	0%
Melanitta nigra(Western Siberia/Western & Northern Europe/North-western Africa)	Black (common) scoter	0	2	0%
Milvus milvus	Red kite	2	2	100%
Morus bassanus	Northern gannet	8	9	89%
Numenius arquata(Europe (breeding))	Eurasian curlew	0	2	0%
Numenius phaeopus(Europe/Western Africa)	Whimbrel	1	1	100%
Oceanodroma leucorhoa	Leach's storm-petrel	6	6	100%
Oenanthe oenanthe	Northern wheatear	0	1	0%
Pandion haliaetus	Osprey	6	9	67%
Pernis apivorus	European honey-buzzard	0	1	0%
Phalacrocorax aristotelis(Northern Europe)	European shag	10	12	83%
Phalacrocorax carbo(North-western Europe)	Great cormorant	4	6	67%
Phalaropus lobatus	Red-necked phalarope	1	1	100%
Philomachus pugnax(Western Africa (wintering))	Ruff	0	2	0%
Phylloscopus sibilatrix	Wood warbler	0	1	0%
Pluvialis apricaria(North-western Europe (breeding))	European golden plover	2	8	25%
Podiceps auritus(North-western Europe)	Slavonian grebe	5	6	83%
Podiceps cristatus(North-western Europe (wintering))	Great crested grebe	0	3	0%
Porzana porzana(Europe/Africa)	Spotted crake	1	1	100%
Puffinus puffinus	Manx shearwater	3	4	75%
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	Red-billed chough	8	8	100%
Recurvirostra avosetta(Western Europe/Western Mediterranean (breeding))	Pied avocet	0	6	0%
Rissa tridactyla(Eastern Atlantic (Breeding))	Black-legged kittiwake	26	29	90%
Saxicola rubetra	Whinchat	0	1	0%
Seabird assemblage	Seabird assemblage	29	35	83%
Stercorarius parasiticus	Arctic skua	6	7	86%
Sterna albifrons(Eastern Atlantic (breeding))	Little tern	4	25	16%
Sterna dougallii(Europe (breeding))	Roseate tern	2	6	33%
Sterna hirundo(Northern/Eastern Europe (breeding))	Common tern	11	24	46%
Sterna paradisaea(Arctic (breeding)/Southern Oceans (wintering))	Arctic tern	14	16	88%
Sterna sandvicensis(Western Europe/Western Africa)	Sandwich tern	6	15	40%
Sylvia undata	Dartford warbler	0	7	0%
Tadorna tadorna(North-western Europe)	Common shelduck	0	2	0%
Tetrao urogallus	Western capercaillie	0	10	0%
Tringa glareola(Europe (breeding))	Wood sandpiper	3	3	100%
Tringa nebularia(Europe/Western Africa)	Common greenshank	1	2	50%
Tringa totanus	Common redshank	3	8	38%
Troglodytes troglodytes fridariensis	Fair Isle Wren	1	1	100%
Turdus torquatus	Ring ouzel	0	1	0%
Uria aalge	Common guillemot	30	30	100%
Uria aalge(East Atlantic)	Common guillemot	0	1	0%
Vanellus vanellus(Europe (breeding))	Northern lapwing	0	5	0%
Breeding bird assemblage	Breeding bird assemblage	0	5	0%

Natura 2000 comprises Special Protection Areas (under the Birds Directive) and Special Areas for Conservation (under the Habitats and Species Directive). The list presented here includes all of the qualifying interest features under these Directives, and shows the proportion of these features for which a condition assessment has been made.

Ramsar features

List of Ramsar Convention interest features within this reporting category

Interest feature name
Formal name	Informal name	No. of assessments reported
Anser anser	Greylag goose	0
Calidris alpina schinzii	Dunlin	3
Charadrius hiaticula(Europe/Northern Africa (wintering))	Ringed plover	2
Crex crex	Corncrake	1
Haematopus ostralegus(Europe & Northern/Western Africa)	Eurasian oystercatcher	2
Sterna hirundo(Northern/Eastern Europe (breeding))	Common tern	1
Sterna sandvicensis(Western Europe/Western Africa)	Sandwich tern	3
Tringa totanus	Common redshank	1

The list presented here includes all of the qualifying species under the Convention on Wetlands (The Ramsar Convention), and shows the proportion of these features for which a condition assessment has been made.

SSSI features

List of SSSI and ASSI interest features in this reporting category

Interest feature name
Formal name	Informal name	No. of assessments reported
Alca torda	Razorbill	21
Anas acuta(North-western Europe)	Northern pintail	1
Anas strepera	Gadwall	1
Anser anser	Greylag goose	3
Aquila chrysaetos	Golden eagle	1
Ardea cinerea	Grey heron	14
Asio flammeus	Short-eared owl	1
Aythya ferina(North-western/North-eastern Europe)	Common pochard	1
Aythya fuligula(North-western Europe)	Tufted duck	1
Bucephala clangula(North-western/Central Europe)	Common goldeneye	2
Burhinus oedicnemus(Western Europe (breeding))	Stone-curlew	1
Calidris alpina alpina(Northern Siberia/Europe/Western Africa)	Dunlin	2
Calidris alpina schinzii	Dunlin	7
Calidris temminickii	Temminck's stint	1
Catharacta skua	Great skua	8
Cepphus grylle	Black guillemot	3
Cettia cetti	Cetti's warbler	1
Charadrius hiaticula(Europe/Northern Africa (wintering))	Ringed plover	3
Charadrius morinellus(Europe (breeding))	Eurasian dotterel	2
Circus aeruginosus	Eurasian marsh harrier	1
Circus cyaneus	Hen harrier	10
Crex crex	Corncrake	1
Falco peregrinus	Peregrine falcon	1
Fratercula arctica	Atlantic puffin	14
Fulmarus glacialis(North Atlantic)	Northern fulmar	16
Gallinago gallinago(Europe (breeding))	Common snipe	1
Gavia arctica(Western Siberia/Europe)	Black-throated diver	13
Gavia stellata	Red-throated diver	9
Haematopus ostralegus(Europe & Northern/Western Africa)	Eurasian oystercatcher	1
Hydrobates pelagicus	European storm-petrel	10
Larus argentatus(North-western Europe (breeding) and Iceland/Western Europe (breeding))	Herring gull	1
Larus canus	Common gull	2
Larus fuscus	Lesser black-backed gull	2
Larus marinus	Great black-backed gull	1
Larus marinus(North-east Atlantic (breeding))	Greater black-backed gull	5
Larus ridibundus	Black-headed gull	1
Larus ridibundus(North-western Europe (breeding))	Black-headed gull	1
Lullula arborea	Wood lark	1
Morus bassanus	Northern gannet	7
Numenius arquata(Europe (breeding))	Eurasian curlew	1
Numenius phaeopus(Europe/Western Africa)	Whimbrel	6
Oceanodroma leucorhoa	Leach's storm-petrel	5
Pandion haliaetus	Osprey	1
Parus cristatus	Crested tit	2
Phalacrocorax aristotelis(Northern Europe)	European shag	14
Phalacrocorax carbo(North-western Europe)	Great cormorant	10
Phalaropus lobatus	Red-necked phalarope	2
Pluvialis apricaria(North-western Europe (breeding))	European golden plover	10
Podiceps auritus(North-western Europe)	Slavonian grebe	8
Podiceps nigricollis	Black-necked grebe	1
Puffinus puffinus	Manx shearwater	4
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax	Red-billed chough	3
Rissa tridactyla(Eastern Atlantic (Breeding))	Black-legged kittiwake	24
Somateria mollissima	Common eider	3
Stercorarius parasiticus	Arctic skua	15
Sterna albifrons(Eastern Atlantic (breeding))	Little tern	3
Sterna dougalli	Roseate tern	1
Sterna dougallii(Europe (breeding))	Roseate tern	3
Sterna hirundo	Common tern	2
Sterna hirundo(Northern/Eastern Europe (breeding))	Common tern	8
Sterna paradisaea(Arctic (breeding)/Southern Oceans (wintering))	Arctic tern	15
Sterna sandvicensis	Sandwich tern	1
Sterna sandvicensis(Western Europe/Western Africa)	Sandwich tern	6
Tadorna tadorna(North-western Europe)	Common shelduck	1
Tetrao tetrix	Black grouse	1
Tringa nebularia(Europe/Western Africa)	Common greenshank	12
Tringa totanus	Common redshank	2
Uria aalge	Common guillemot	35
Vanellus vanellus(Europe (breeding))	Northern lapwing	1
Rare species aggregation (Inland breeding cormorants)	Rare species aggregation (Inland breeding cormorants)	1
Seabird colony	Seabird colony	37

This list has not been fully standardised at a UK level yet. It is intended to show the principal constituent "feature types" for this reporting category.

Maps - distribution

UK distibution of reported interest features

Distribution of reported interest features.

Map showing the locations of the 10km squares in which at least one condition assessment has been reported. It does not show features that have not yet been assessed.

Maps - International

Current condition of SPA and Ramsasr features
Distribution of SPA and Ramsar features showing assessments of favourability (where unfavourable-recovering is counted as unfavourable).

Condition of SPA and Ramsar features, with those currently reported as unfavourable-recovering shown as favourable
The implication of the unfavourable-recovering condition assessments is that at some point in the future these features should become favourable. This map shows the effect of that recovery by counting the favourable and unfavourable-recovering assessments together.

IMPORTANT NOTE: we do not have information on the timescale of the predicted recovery, which may be influenced by many past, natural and human related factors. A sustained sympathetic management regime is more likely to result in favourable condition being attained.

Key: Proportion of assessed features on 10km squares that are favourable:

Natura map legend - Key: proportion of assessed features on 10km squares that are favourable

Details of how these maps were produced

Maps - SSSI

Current condition of SSSI/ASSI features
Distribution of SSSI/ASSI features showing assessments of favourability (where unfavourable-recovering is counted as unfavourable).

Condition of SSSI/ASSI features, with those currently reported as unfavourable-recovering shown as favourable
The implication of the unfavourable-recovering condition assessments is that at some point in the future these features should become favourable. This map shows the effect of that recovery by counting the favourable and unfavourable-recovering assessments together.

Key: Proportion of assessed features on 10km squares that are favourable:

SSSI map legend - Proportion of assessed features on 10km squares that are favourable

Details of how these maps were produced

Condition summary

This lists the 10 different condition assessments and presents a bar chart showing the number of features reported within the SSSI series, the Natura 2000 series (either SPA for bird features or SAC for features other than birds), and the Ramsar Convention. Note that for Natura 2000 and Ramsar we are able to estimate the number of features that have not been assessed during the 6 year reporting period - we are unable to do this for SSSI/ASSI because we do not have an overall list of notified interest features for these designations.

NB favourable unclassified and unfavourable unclassified have been used in this first six year cycle to get around difficulties in identifying trends in condition as common standards monitoring is implemented. It is expected that these categories will not be used for subsequent assessments of a feature.

Condition assessment - Natura 2000 features

The number and proportion of assessments for Natura 2000 (SAC and SPA) interest features falling into each of the condition categories. Note that the �unfavourable� category includes all reports of unfavourable condition except �unfavourable recovering� which is shown as a separate segment.

Condition assessment - Ramsar features

The number and proportion of assessments for Ramsar Convention interest features falling into each of the condition categories

The number and proportion of assessments for Ramsar interest features falling into each of the condition categories. Note that the unfavourable category includes all reports of unfavourable condition except unfavourable recovering which is shown as a separate segment.

Condition assessment - SSSI features

The number and proportion of assessments for SSSI/ASSI interest features falling into each of the condition categories. Note that the �unfavourable� category includes all reports of unfavourable condition except �unfavourable recovering� which is shown as a separate segment.

Adverse activities

The number of interest features where an activity has been reported as being implicated in the "unfavourable" condition of a feature. More than one adverse activity may be reported for each feature.

Management measures

For each "measure" the chart shows the number of interest features where that measure has been taken on a site to improve or maintain the condition of an interest feature. More than one measure may be reported for each feature assessed.

Interpretation

73% of breeding bird features reported are in favourable condition. This is above the average for species features and well above the average for all features combined. 71% of A/SSSI features and 76% of SPA features reported are in favourable condition. A further 3% of features reported for each of these types of sites are unfavourable-recovering. 92% of Ramsar features reported are in favourable condition, with a further 8% unfavourable-recovering.

Within these figures, details include:

90% of diver features reported are in favourable condition. Breeding divers Gavidae are restricted to Scotland. Two SPAs have unfavourable black-throated diver Gavia arctica features. The adverse activities mentioned for divers include water management and over-grazing. These relate to the need to ensure sympathetic management around the small lochans where these species typically breed.
76% of wader features reported are in favourable condition. No adverse activities were specifically reported for these species.
- The oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus is a widespread breeding wader in the UK, but in only a few places does it occur at sufficient density to benefit from site-based conservation – notably in the machair of the Scottish Western Isles. The species is reported as favourable within the three SPAs classified for it.
- Other species breeding within the machair SPAs: ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula, dunlin Calidris alpina and redshank Tringa totanus, were also in generally favourable condition.
- The dotterel Charadrius morinellus is an alpine species that has a restricted breeding range in upland Britain. All dotterel SPAs are in Scotland and together support around 56% of the total British population; all the dotterel populations reported are in favourable condition. Two SPAs remain to be assessed.
71% of seabird features reported are in favourable condition. Within this grouping, fulmar, shearwaters and petrels are 81% favourable, terns 61%, auks 77%, and gulls 51%. A number of breeding seabirds are doing well within the SPA network, with generally favourable assessments, including common guillemot Uria aalge, razorbill Alca torda, northern gannet Morus bassanus, northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis, great skua Catharacta skua and atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica. However, for many seabirds there are mixed fortunes with a considerable number of colonies with unfavourable numbers. This is not unsurprising given that many populations have been shown to be in decline, largely as a result of declining food availability. Population dynamics, fisheries management, natural events and recreation and disturbance are all mentioned as activities linked with unfavourable condition.
78% of bird of prey features reported are in favourable condition. Hen harriers Circus cyaneus are features in 14 SPAs; the condition of eight of these populations was reported. At six of these sites, hen harrier numbers are in favourable condition. Taking account of all assessments reported, including those on SSSI sites, 61% are in favourable condition. Burning, grazing, natural events, recreation and disturbance are all mentioned as adverse activities leading to unfavourable condition, with management agreements important for securing favourable condition.

Compared with the number of assessments reported, relatively little information on adverse activities and measures taken to address unfavourability or maintain features in favourable condition was provided. However, a small amount of analysis is possible: burning is mentioned mainly for raptors and two other moorland-nesting species; fisheries management is mainly reported as an issue for seabirds; natural events are listed for a wide variety of species, including a number of seabird species; population dynamics is listed mainly for seabirds; recreation and disturbance is listed for a variety of species.