BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Wheatear

WHEATEAR
Oenanthe oenanthe

Conservation listings

Unlisted/Green
Biodiversity Steering Group Conservation Concern List

Long-term trend

UK: Uncertain, possible decline

Status summary

Although common, the Wheatear was not monitored adequately until the inception of the BBS because of its habitat preferences. Gibbons et al. (1993) identified range contractions from lowland Britain, perhaps due to losses of grassland and declines in rabbit abundance. Breeding performance tends to have increased over time (failure rates at the egg stage (18 days, comprising 14 days incubation + 4 days laying) have fallen from 24% in 1975 to 5% in 1999). The BBS shows no clear trend in abundance since 1994.

Table of population changes for Wheatear

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

BBS UK 6 1994-2000 236 -6 -18 7

BBS England 6 1994-2000 112 -8 -24 12

BBS Scotland 6 1994-2000 74 -13 -33 12

BBS Wales 6 1994-2000 41 15 -18 64 Small sample

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

Table of productivity information for Wheatear

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

Clutch size 31 1968-1999 15 None Small sample

Brood size 31 1968-1999 67 Curvilinear 4.73 chicks 4.71 chicks -0.02 chicks

Daily failure rate (eggs) 31 1968-1999 22 Curvilinear 0.0074 nests/day 0.003 nests/day -0.0044 nests/day Small sample

Daily failure rate (chicks) 31 1968-1999 46 None

Laying date 31 1968-1999 16 None Small sample

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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This page last updated: 21 April, 2008

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