BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Stonechat

STONECHAT
Saxicola torquata

Conservation listings

Table 4/Amber (European status)
Biodiversity Steering Group Conservation Concern List

Long-term trend

UK: Uncertain, possible decline

Status summary

Breeding atlas data showed a substantial contraction in the Stonechat's range between the early 1970s and late 1980s (Gibbons et al. 1993), but the species was not monitored sufficiently well before the start of the BBS for long-term trends to be investigated. Abundance has fluctuated since 1994, but with a net increase, and breeding performance has improved over the long term.

Table of population changes for Stonechat

Source Period
(yrs) Years Plots
(n) Change
(%) Lower
limit Upper
limit Alert Comment

BBS UK 6 1994-2000 74 115 58 192

BBS England 6 1994-2000 28 85 16 195 Small sample

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

Table of productivity information for Stonechat

Variable Period
(yrs) Years Mean
annual
sample Trend Predicted
in first year Predicted
in last year Change Comment

Clutch size 31 1968-1999 23 Linear increase 5 eggs 5.29 eggs 0.29 eggs Small sample

Brood size 31 1968-1999 54 Linear increase 4.67 chicks 4.91 chicks 0.24 chicks

Daily failure rate (eggs) 31 1968-1999 27 None Small sample

Daily failure rate (chicks) 31 1968-1999 48 None

Laying date 31 1968-1999 31 None

Insufficient data on CES
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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