BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Corn Bunting

CORN BUNTING
Emberiza calandra

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: SPEC category 2 (declining)
UK: red (>50% population decline, historical decline)
UK Biodiversity Action Plan: click here

Long-term trend

UK, England: rapid decline

UK population size

8,500–12,200 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Following an earlier, historical decrease, Corn Buntings declined very steeply between the mid 1970s and mid 1980s, with local extinctions across large sections of their former range. Subsequently the decline has continued, but at a much-reduced rate. Breeding performance per nesting attempt has increased considerably over this period (Crick 1997), but it is also reported that fewer birds now raise a second brood, thus reducing productivity overall (Brickle & Harper 2002). Ring-recovery sample sizes do not permit an analysis of survival rates (Siriwardena et al. 1998b, 2000b). Any decrease there has been in survival rates is probably a result of the deleterious effects of agricultural intensification on seed availability in winter (Donald 1997). The isolated Corn Bunting population on the Western Isles is still declining rapidly, probably because agricultural change has reduced the supply of winter grain (Wilson et al. 2007). Targeted restoration of lower-intensity cultivation, but without hedgerows, might help prevent further local extinctions (Mason & Macdonald 2006). With declines across much of its European range, this previously 'secure' species is now provisionally evaluated as 'declining' (BirdLife International 2004).

Population changes

Table of population changes for Corn Bunting

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert	Comment
CBC/BBS UK	38	1967-2005	61	-86	-94	-76	>50
	25	1980-2005	74	-85	-93	-75	>50	Small CBC sample
	10	1995-2005	144	-30	-42	-16	>25
	5	2000-2005	120	-5	-22	14
CBC/BBS England	38	1967-2005	58	-84	-92	-73	>50
	25	1980-2005	71	-84	-93	-74	>50	Small CBC sample
	10	1995-2005	138	-25	-38	-12	>25
	5	2000-2005	115	3	-14	23
BBS UK	10	1995-2005	136	-30	-41	-19	>25
	5	2000-2005	119	-6	-23	13
BBS England	10	1995-2005	130	-25	-38	-13
	5	2000-2005	114	1	-13	21

Productivity trends

Table of productivity changes for Corn Bunting

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Modelled in first year	Modelled in 2005	Change	Comment
Brood size	37	1968-2005	12	Curvilinear	3.07 chicks	3.01 chicks	-2%	Small sample
Daily failure rate (eggs)	37	1968-2005	11	None				Small sample
Daily failure rate (chicks)	37	1968-2005	11	Curvilinear	4.5% nests/day	2.09% nests/day	-53.6%	Small sample
Laying date	37	1968-2005	14	None				Small sample

Insufficient data on clutch size
available for this species

Insufficient data on CES
available for this species

Additional information


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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., 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