BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Lesser Redpoll

LESSER REDPOLL
Carduelis cabaret

Lesser Redpoll © Tommy Holden

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe (C. cabaret/flammea): no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: amber (>50% population decline but data possibly unrepresentative, >20% of European breeding population)
UK Biodiversity Action Plan: in preparation

Long-term trend

England: rapid decline

UK population size

26,900 pairs in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC trend: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Lesser Redpolls were once abundant and widespread on CBC and CES plots in lowland Britain, but are largely absent now as breeding birds. The 1988–91 Atlas showed a range contraction of 11% since 1968–72, including complete loss in much of eastern Grampian (Gibbons et al. 1993). It is nevertheless possible that they may have withdrawn from the lowlands to northern and western UK regions, where monitoring prior to 1994 was less effective. The species has been moved from the green to the amber list, although the apparent extent of its decline clearly warrants red-listing. In southern Britain, at least, decrease may be attributable to a reduction in the amount of suitable young forest growth (Fuller et al. 2005). CES data indicate a rapid long-term decline in productivity, and there is evidence that survival rates have also fallen (Siriwardena et al. 1998a). Since C. cabaret is now treated as a separate species from the Common Redpoll C. flammea, and has a restricted range that lies wholly within western Europe, it is likely to gain a European conservation listing at the next review.

Population changes

Table of population changes for Lesser Redpoll

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert	Comment
CBC/BBS England	38	1967-2005	42	-89	-96	-76	>50
	25	1980-2005	38	-96	-98	-92	>50
	10	1995-2005	52	-35	-56	0	>25
	5	2000-2005	52	-14	-45	20
CES adults	21	1984-2005	17	-88	-96	-71	>50	Small sample
	10	1995-2005	14	-66	-88	-30	>50	Small sample
	5	2000-2005	10	-51	-83	-16	>50	Small sample
CES juveniles	21	1984-2005	10	-93	-100	-85	>50	Small sample
BBS UK	10	1995-2005	129	3	-21	32
	5	2000-2005	133	-6	-24	16
BBS England	10	1995-2005	50	-31	-55	0	>25
	5	2000-2005	52	-14	-49	19
BBS Scotland	10	1995-2005	37	-11	-35	27
	5	2000-2005	34	-23	-34	3

Productivity trends

Table of productivity changes for Lesser Redpoll

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Modelled in first year	Modelled in 2005	Change	Comment
Daily failure rate (eggs)	37	1968-2005	10	None				Small sample
Laying date	37	1968-2005	11	Curvilinear	May 26	May 21	-5 days	Small sample
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	21	1984-2005	19	Smoothed trend	336 Index value	100 Index value	-70%	Small sample
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	10	1995-2005	15	Smoothed trend	166 Index value	100 Index value	-40%	Small sample
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	5	2000-2005	11	Smoothed trend	47 Index value	100 Index value	112%	Small sample

Insufficient data on clutch size
available for this species

Insufficient data on brood size
available for this species

Egg nest failure graph

Insufficient data on nestling failure
available for this species

Additional information


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This report should be cited as: Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Crick, H.Q.P., Noble, D.G., Balmer, D.E., Barimore, C., Coombes, R.H., Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Joys, A.C., Leech, D.I., Raven, M.J., Robinson, R.A. & Thewlis, R.M. (2007) Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2007. BTO Research Report No. 487. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends) Pages maintained by Susan Waghorn and Iain Downie: Last updated 3 January, 2008