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BTO Blueline
STONECHAT
Saxicola torquatus
 Stonechat © G H Higginbotham
 
Conservation listings
Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: amber (European status)
Long-term trend
UK: uncertain, possible decline
Distribution maps
Maps and statistics from British and Irish
atlases can be viewed here.
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 numerical trends to be investigated. Abundance appears to be linked to severe winter weather, and suitable breeding habitat has become scarce and fragmented in many inland regions (Marchant et al. 1990). Numbers have fluctuated since 1994, but with a substantial net increase, at least in England. Clutch and brood sizes have increased over the long term, and nest failure rates have fallen. Following recent increases across Europe, the species is now provisionally categorised as 'secure'. The UK amber listing rests on the earlier European decline, so a change to green may be warranted at the next review.
 
BBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Stonechat
Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
BBS UK 9 1994-2003 88 168 100 258    
BBS England 9 1994-2003 34 237 120 417    
BBS acknowledgement
 
BBS England graph
 
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 34 1968-2002 26 Linear increase 5.02 eggs 5.25 eggs 0.23 eggs Small sample
Brood size 34 1968-2002 53 Linear increase 4.69 chicks 4.87 chicks 0.18 chicks  
Daily failure rate (eggs) 34 1968-2002 29 Curvilinear 0.0048 nests/day 0.0037 nests/day -0.0011 nests/day Small sample
Daily failure rate (chicks) 34 1968-2002 48 Linear decline 0.0146 nests/day 0.0078 nests/day -0.0068 nests/day  
Laying date 34 1968-2002 31 None        
 
Clutch size graph
Brood size graph
Egg nest failure graph
Chick nest failure graph
Laying date graph
Insufficient data on CES
available for this species
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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