BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Bullfinch

BULLFINCH
Pyrrhula pyrrhula

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: red (>50% population decline)
UK Biodiversity Action Plan: click here

Long-term trend

UK, England: moderate decline

UK population size

166,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

The UK Bullfinch population entered a long period of decline in the mid 1970s, following a period of relative stability. The decline was initially very steep, and more so in farmland than in wooded habitats, but has been shallower since the early 1980s. CES and CBC/BBS both suggest a minor upturn in the last few seasons. The demographic mechanism of decline remains unclear (Siriwardena et al. 1999, 2000b, 2001), although agricultural intensification and a reduction in the structural and floristic diversity of woodland are suspected to have played a part through losses of food resources and nesting cover (Fuller et al. 2005). Alongside these factors, Proffitt et al. (2004) and Marquiss (2007) mention the constraints on survival outside the breeding season and the possible role of increasing Sparrowhawk populations on the ability of Bullfinches to exploit resources in some habitats. Nest failure at the egg stage has become more frequent in recent seasons. Numbers have fallen widely in Europe since 1980 (PECBM 2006).

Population changes

Table of population changes for Bullfinch

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert
CBC/BBS UK	38	1967-2005	261	-49	-58	-36	>25
	25	1980-2005	322	-32	-40	-17	>25
	10	1995-2005	568	-9	-16	0
	5	2000-2005	566	10	3	20
CBC/BBS England	38	1967-2005	214	-50	-61	-38	>50
	25	1980-2005	258	-34	-46	-22	>25
	10	1995-2005	443	-7	-14	1
	5	2000-2005	433	7	0	16
CES adults	21	1984-2005	80	-17	-33	7
	10	1995-2005	87	-16	-27	-2
	5	2000-2005	80	14	-3	34
CES juveniles	21	1984-2005	63	-11	-37	41
	10	1995-2005	69	-7	-20	10
	5	2000-2005	64	-8	-20	5
BBS UK	10	1995-2005	502	-11	-18	-4
	5	2000-2005	551	9	3	18
BBS England	10	1995-2005	387	-10	-18	-2
	5	2000-2005	420	7	0	15
BBS Scotland	10	1995-2005	31	-13	-42	7
	5	2000-2005	30	-10	-28	8
BBS Wales	10	1995-2005	59	2	-15	29
	5	2000-2005	73	31	16	58

Productivity trends

Table of productivity changes for Bullfinch

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Modelled in first year	Modelled in 2005	Change
Clutch size	37	1968-2005	35	None
Brood size	37	1968-2005	37	Linear decline	4.17 chicks	3.96 chicks	-4.9%
Daily failure rate (eggs)	37	1968-2005	51	Curvilinear	3.36% nests/day	4.29% nests/day	27.7%
Daily failure rate (chicks)	37	1968-2005	34	Curvilinear	3.37% nests/day	3.9% nests/day	15.7%
Laying date	37	1968-2005	33	None
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	21	1984-2005	84	Smoothed trend	95 Index value	100 Index value	6%
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	10	1995-2005	91	Smoothed trend	82 Index value	100 Index value	22%
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	5	2000-2005	84	Smoothed trend	105 Index value	100 Index value	-5%

Additional information


	BTO Home \| JNCC Home © British Trust for Ornithology. Charity No 216652 (England and Wales). Company Limited by Guarantee No 357284 (England and Wales). Registered Office: The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK. Terms and Conditions \| Privacy Statement Email:
This report should be cited as: Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Crick, H.Q.P., Noble, D.G., Balmer, D.E., Barimore, C., Coombes, R.H., Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Joys, A.C., Leech, D.I., Raven, M.J., Robinson, R.A. & Thewlis, R.M. (2007) Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2007. BTO Research Report No. 487. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends) Pages maintained by Susan Waghorn and Iain Downie: Last updated 3 January, 2008