BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Spotted Flycatcher

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER
Muscicapa striata

Conservation listings

Europe: SPEC category 3 (depleted)
UK: red (>50% population decline)

Long-term trend

UK, England: rapid decline

Distribution maps

Maps and statistics from British and Irish
atlases can be viewed here.

Status summary

Spotted Flycatchers have declined rapidly and consistently since the 1960s and the CBC/BBS decline is also reflected in the trend revealed by CES. Breeding performance as measured by NRS and CES has tended to improve over this period. Demographic modelling shows that decreases in the annual survival rates of birds in their first year of life are most likely to have driven the decline (Freeman & Crick 2003). Decreasing survival rates may have been caused by deteriorating woodland habitats, or by conditions either on the wintering grounds or along migration routes (Vanhinsbergh et al. 2001). Since trends have been similar across UK regions and habitats, it is more likely that the decline has been driven by factors operating outside the UK.

Table of population changes for Spotted Flycatcher

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

CBC/BBS UK 35 1967-2002 111 -85 -90 -78 >50

25 1977-2002 124 -81 -87 -74 >50

10 1992-2002 190 -43 -54 -29 >25

5 1997-2002 231 -25 -34 -10 >25

CBC/BBS England 35 1967-2002 87 -85 -90 -78 >50

25 1977-2002 96 -81 -86 -73 >50

10 1992-2002 141 -38 -53 -22 >25

5 1997-2002 169 -15 -28 -1

CES adults 18 1984-2002 16 -59 . . [>50] Small sample

10 1992-2002 15 -42 . . [>25] Small sample

5 1997-2002 13 -24 . . Small sample

CES juveniles 18 1984-2002 12 -71 . . [>50*] Small sample

10 1992-2002 11 -57 . . [>50] Small sample

BBS UK 9 1994-2003 190 -42 -51 -31 (>25)

BBS England 9 1994-2003 139 -38 -49 -24 (>25)

Table of productivity information for Spotted Flycatcher

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Predicted in first year	Predicted in last year	Change	Comment
Clutch size	34	1968-2002	81	None
Brood size	34	1968-2002	131	Curvilinear	3.61 chicks	3.69 chicks	0.08 chicks
Daily failure rate (eggs)	34	1968-2002	120	None
Daily failure rate (chicks)	34	1968-2002	108	None
Laying date	34	1968-2002	72	None
Percentage juveniles (CES)	18	1984-2002	22	Smoothed trend	95 productivity index	102 productivity index	5%
Percentage juveniles (CES)	10	1992-2002	20	Smoothed trend	82 productivity index	102 productivity index	22%
Percentage juveniles (CES)	5	1997-2002	18	Smoothed trend	89 productivity index	102 productivity index	12%	Small sample


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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., Beaven, L.P., Coombes, R.H., Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Joys, A.C., Leech, D.I., Raven, M.J., Robinson, R.A. and Thewlis, R.M. (2005) Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2004. BTO Research Report No. 385. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends) Pages maintained by Susan Waghorn and Iain Downie: Last updated 18 January, 2006