Although CBC recorded some increase in its early years, Lapwings have declined continuously on lowland farmland since the mid 1980s, probably because changes in agricultural practice have led to their breeding productivity dropping below a sustainable level (Hudson et al. 1994, Siriwardena et al. 2000a, Besbeas et al. 2002, Milsom 2005). National surveys in England and Wales showed a 49% population decline between 1987 and 1998 (Wilson et al. 2001). Population declines of more than 50% over 15 years in Northern Ireland (Henderson et al. 2002) mirror similar declines throughout grassland areas of Wales and southeast England (Wilson et al. 2001, 2005). BBS data indicate shallow increase in England since 1994, but steep decline in Scotland. Adult and first-year survival rates show no trend through time (Peach et al. 1994, Catchpole et al. 1999). Mean clutch size increased significantly as the population fell. Using NRS data for 1962–99, Chamberlain & Crick (2003) found that marginal upland had relatively low reproductive performance, and arable relatively high, while grazed grass had higher failure rates and lower clutch sizes than ungrazed grass: their results suggest that recent population change may have been influenced by changes in clutch failure rates, perhaps mediated by an increase in grazing intensity in marginal uplands and by increased predation rates, possibly associated with habitat change. There have been several very poor years for egg-stage survival since 1996, and the species is therefore now of NRS concern (Leech et al. 2007). A recent study has indicated that 88% of nest predations occurred during darkness, suggesting nocturnal mammals were to blame (Bolton et al. 2007).

The amber listing of this species is now based on UK decline, as well as the original criterion of international importance. Winter numbers counted by WeBS, mainly at coastal sites and omitting some big concentrations inland, have increased in Britain since the mid 1980s but decreased in Northern Ireland (Banks et al. 2006); these birds are mainly of continental origin.

Population changes

Productivity trends

Additional information

• Maps and statistics from British and Irish atlases
• BirdFacts page on species biology
• BirdTrack results