Figure 1a (i). Wild bird populations: breeding farmland, woodland, water and seabirds, 1970 to 2007

 

 

Figure 1a (ii). Wild bird populations: wintering waterbirds, 1975-6 to 2006-7

 

 

 

Assessment of change in bird populations

	Long term	Since 2000	Latest year
Breeding farmland birds	1970-2007		Decreased (2007)
Breeding woodland birds	1970-2007		Increased (2007)
Breeding water and wetland birds	1975-2007		Decreased (2007)
Breeding seabirds	1970-2007		Decreased (2007)
Wintering waterbirds	1975/6-2006/7		Decreased (2007)

 

 

The indicator shows changes in the breeding population sizes of common native birds of farmland, water and wetland, woodland and marine habitats in the UK. In a separate chart it also shows changes in populations of wintering waterbirds in the UK.

 

The breeding farmland bird measure is now at its lowest recorded level having fallen from 57% to 52% of its 1970 baseline between 2000 and 2007. The breeding water and wetland bird measure is now at 94% of its 1975 baseline, although it has shown little or no overall change since 2000. The breeding woodland bird measure has fluctuated at approximately 80% of its 1970 level since the early 1990s, showing little or no overall change between 2000 and 2007. The breeding seabird measure is 31% above the 1970 baseline having fallen to this level from 35% above baseline in 2000. 

 

The wintering waterbird measure has increased since the 1975/6 baseline by 57%, though it has been in decline since 2000/1.

Wild bird populations fluctuate from year to year and the indicator is based on a sample of the population. For this reason, on the advice of the data providers, the measures are assessed in the long term and since-2000 based on whether there has been a change of more than 5% over the assessment period⁴. 

 

 

The farmland bird measure shows the greatest decline of all the bird measures since 1970 and remains at just 52% of its 1970 level, following steep declines in the 1980s and a slower decline in recent years. This decline is driven by falls in species strongly associated or restricted to farmland habitats (farmland specialists). Overall, populations of more generalist species found on farmland, such as wood pigeon, have remained broadly stable. Of the 12 farmland specialist species, nine have declined by at least half since 1970 with numbers of tree sparrow and corn bunting, less than 10% of those present in 1970. One farmland generalist, the yellow wagtail, has also declined by more than 50% since 1970 and showed a 9 percentage point decline in just the last year.

 

The breeding water and wetland bird measure has been introduced for the first time this year. The measure is 6% lower than its 1975 baseline. There have been sharp yearly fluctuations in the index. Declining species include yellow wagtail, snipe and reed bunting whilst Cetti’s warbler, little egret and goosander saw increases in their numbers.

 

The woodland bird measure has declined by 21% since 1970. As with the farmland birds, there is a contrast between the trends shown by the 12 generalist species and the 26 woodland specialists. Populations of generalist species have generally increased with numbers of great tit, long-tailed tit and wren having almost doubled since 1970.  Whilst one or two woodland generalists have declined (notably bullfinch and song thrush), it is the woodland specialists that have shown the most marked falls, with a number of species having declined by more than 50% since 1970: capercaillie, lesser spotted woodpecker, marsh and willow tit, pied and spotted flycatcher, tree pipit, lesser redpoll, nightingale and wood warbler.

 

The seabird measure increased throughout the 1970s and 1980s, to a high point in 1997 before falling back to 31% above the 1970 baseline in 2007. Within this relatively stable picture, there are highly divergent trends for the constituent species; herring gull numbers are now down to nearly a third of those in 1970, whereas numbers of great skua have increased four-fold over the same period. Arctic skua numbers have halved in just 13 years.

 

The wintering waterbird measure increased steadily throughout the late 1970s, '80s and '90s to a peak in 1996/7 of 68% above the 1975/6 starting point.  This has been followed by a downward trend with the index dropping by 5% relative to the baseline, between 2005/6 and 2006/7. This most recent change has been driven largely by declines in wildfowl populations (ducks, geese and swans).

Bird populations are considered to be a good indicator of the broad state of wildlife and countryside because they occupy a wide range of habitats and they tend to be near or at the top of the food chain. Moreover, considerable long-term data on bird populations have been collected.

Table 1a (i). Species used in the breeding farmland, woodland, water and seabird measures

 

 

Farmland Birds (n=19)	Woodland Birds (n=38)	Waterbirds (n=26)	Seabirds (n=19)
Alauda arvensis (Skylark)	Accipiter nisus (Sparrowhawk)	Actitis hypoleucos (Common sandpiper)	Stercorarius parasiticus (Arctic skua)
Carduelis cannabina (Linnet)	Aegithalos caudatus (Long-tailed tit)	Mergus merganser (Goosander)	Alca torda (Razorbill)
Carduelis carduelis (Goldfinch)	Anthus trivialis (Tree pipit)	Motacilla cinerea (Grey wagtail)	Catharacta skua (Great skua)
Carduelis chloris (Greenfinch)	Carduelis cabaret (Lesser redpoll)	Cinclus cinclus (Dipper)	Aria aalge (Common guillemot)
Columba oenas (Stock dove)	Carduelis spinus (Siskin)	Tachybaptus ruficollis (Little grebe)	Fratercula arctica (Puffin)
Columba palumbus (Woodpigeon)	Certhia familiaris (Treecreeper)	Podiceps cristatus (Great crested grebe)	Fulmarus glacialis (Fulmar)
Corvus frugilegus (Rook)	Coccothraustes coccothraustes (Hawfinch)	Anas platyrhynchos (Mallard)	Larus argentatus (Herring gull)
Corvus monedula (Jackdaw)	Cyanistes caeruleus (Blue tit)	Aythya fuligula (Tufted duck)	Larus canus (Common gull)
Emberiza citrinella (Yellowhammer)	Dendrocopos major (Great spotted woodpecker)	Gallinula chloropus (Moorhen)	Larus fuscus (Lesser black-backed gull)
Emberiza schoeniclus (Reed bunting)	Dendrocopos minor (Lesser spotted woodpecker)	Fulica atra (Coot)	Larus marinus (Great black-backed gull)
Falco tinnunculus (Kestrel)	Erithacus rubecula (Robin)	Acrocephalus scirpaceus (Reed warbler)	Larus ridibundus (Black-headed gull)
Miliaria calandra (Corn bunting)	Ficedula hypoleuca (Pied flycatcher)	Acrocephalus schoenobaenus (Sedge warbler)	Morus bassanus (Gannet)
Motacilla flava (Yellow wagtail)	Fringilla coelebs (Chaffinch)	Cettia cetti (Cetti’s warbler)	Phalacrocorax aristotelis (Shag)
Passer montanus (Tree sparrow)	Garrulus glandarius (Jay)	Emberiza schoeniclus (Reed bunting)	Phalacrocorax carbo (Cormorant)
Perdix perdix (Grey partridge)	Loxia curvirostra (Crossbill)	Cygnus olor (Mute swan)	Rissa tridactyla (Kittiwake)
Streptopelia turtur (Turtle dove)	Luscinia megarhynchos (Nightingale)	Anas crecca (Teal)	Sternula albifrons (Little tern)
Sturnus vulgaris (Starling)	Muscicapa striata (Spotted flycatcher)	Numenius arquata (Curlew)	Sterna hirundo (Common tern)
Sylvia communis (Whitethroat)	Parus major (Great tit)	Vanellus vanellus (Lapwing)	Sterna paradisaea (Arctic tern)
Vanellus vanellus (Lapwing)	Periparus ater (Coal tit)	Gallinago gallinago (Snipe)	Sterna sandvicensis (Sandwich tern)
	Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Redstart)	Tringa totanus (Redshank)
	Phylloscopus collybita (Chiffchaff)	Motacilla flava (Yellow wagtail)
	Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Wood warbler)	Ardea cinerea (Grey heron)
	Phylloscopus trochilus (Willow warbler)	Alcedo atthis (Kingfisher)
	Picus viridis (Green woodpecker)	Haematopus ostralegus (Oystercatcher)
	Poecile montanus (Willow tit)	Riparia riparia (Sand martin)
	Poecile palustris (Marsh tit)
	Prunella modularis (Dunnock)
	Pyrrhula pyrrhula (Bullfinch)
	Regulus regulus (Goldcrest)
	Sitta europaea (Nuthatch)
	Strix aluco (Tawny owl)
	Sylvia atricapilla (Blackcap)
	Sylvia borin (Garden warbler)
	Sylvia curruca (Lesser whitethroat)
	Tetrao urogallus (Capercaillie)
	Troglodytes troglodytes (Wren)
	Turdus merula (Blackbird)
	Turdus philomelos (Song thrush)

References

Newson S E, Noble D G and Eaton M A. 2004. Preliminary BBS-based habitat-specific indicators for wild bird populations. 1994-2002. BTO Research Report No. 368