BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside

LESSER WHITETHROAT
Sylvia curruca

Conservation listings

Unlisted/Green
Biodiversity Steering Group
Conservation Concern List

Long-term trend

UK: Fluctuating with no long-term trend
Scrub (CES): Moderate decline

Status summary

Lesser Whitethroat abundance tended to be stable (albeit with short-term fluctuations) from the 1960s until the late 1980s, but there is evidence for a subsequent moderate decline during the 1990s in the CBC, CES and BBS trends. These changes were significant and large enough over the relevant period to trigger BTO Alerts from all three schemes. This decline warrants conservation concern and possible causes should be investigated. A reduction in brood productivity, recently observed on CES plots, may explain the drop in numbers.

Table of population change for Lesser Whitethroat

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert	Comment
CBC all habitats	31	1968-1999	55	-2	-28	50
	25	1974-1999	59	-14	-34	20
	10	1989-1999	52	-17	-29	-1
	5	1994-1999	50	3	-8	17
CBC farmland	31	1968-1999	31	26	-25	111
	25	1974-1999	32	-3	-38	63
	10	1989-1999	32	6	-7	23
	5	1994-1999	31	20	0	43
CES adults	15	1984-1999	43	-50	.	.	*[>25]**
	10	1989-1999	49	-58	.	.	*[>50]**
	5	1994-1999	48	-47	.	.	*[>25]**
CES juveniles	15	1984-1999	45	-37	.	.	*[>25]**
	10	1989-1999	52	-53	.	.	*[>50]**
	5	1994-1999	50	-53	.	.	*[>50]**
BBS UK	6	1994-2000	202	-20	-32	-5
BBS England	6	1994-2000	192	-20	-33	-5

The Breeding Bird Survey is jointly funded by BTO, JNCC and RSPB

Table of productivity information for Lesser Whitethroat

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Predicted in first year	Predicted in last year	Change	Comment
Percentage juveniles (CES)	15	1984-1999	57	Smoothed trend	92 productivity index	100 productivity index	9%
Percentage juveniles (CES)	10	1989-1999	66	Smoothed trend	105 productivity index	100 productivity index	-4%
Percentage juveniles (CES)	5	1994-1999	64	Smoothed trend	128 productivity index	100 productivity index	-22%

Insufficient data on clutch size
available for this species

Insufficient data on brood size
available for this species

Insufficient data on nest failure
available for this species

Insufficient data on nestling failure available for this species

Insufficient data on laying date
available for this species

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This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Crick, H.Q.P., Balmer, D.E., Beaven, L.P., Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Leech, D.I., Marchant, J.H.,
Noble, D.G., Raven, M.J., Simpkin, A.P., Thewlis, R.M. and Wernham, C.V. (2002) Breeding Birds in the Wider
Countryside: their conservation status 2001. BTO Research Report No. 278. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

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