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BTO Blueline
NUTHATCH
Sitta europaea
 Nuthatch © Tommy Holden
 

• Population
  changes

• Productivity
  trends

• Additional
  information
Conservation listings
Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: green
Long-term trend
UK, England: rapid increase
UK population size
144,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)
Status summary
Nuthatch abundance has increased rapidly since the mid 1970s. Despite minor setbacks during the 1990s, there is no indication yet of a halt to the upward trend. This increase has been accompanied by a range expansion into northern England (Gibbons et al. 1993) and has been associated with a large increase in brood size. The reasons for these changes are unknown. A trend towards earlier laying, perhaps as a result of climate change (Crick et al. 1997), has also been identified. Numbers have risen widely in Europe since 1980 (PECBM 2006).
 

Population changes
CBC/BBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Nuthatch

Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
CBC/BBS UK 38 1967-2005 157 170 104 267    
  25 1980-2005 214 97 54 139    
  10 1995-2005 405 45 32 61    
  5 2000-2005 440 28 19 37    
CBC/BBS England 38 1967-2005 135 172 99 281    
  25 1980-2005 182 91 54 140    
  10 1995-2005 338 45 33 59    
  5 2000-2005 363 29 20 39    
BBS UK 10 1995-2005 360 45 30 60    
  5 2000-2005 428 27 17 36    
BBS England 10 1995-2005 296 44 30 60    
  5 2000-2005 352 28 20 38    
BBS Wales 10 1995-2005 63 37 11 68    
  5 2000-2005 75 14 -1 34    

BBS acknowledgement
 
CBC/BBS England graph
BBS UK graph
BBS England graph
BBS Wales graph
 

Productivity trends
Table of productivity changes for Nuthatch

Variable Period
(yrs)		 Years Mean
annual
sample		 Trend Modelled
in first year		 Modelled
in 2005		 Change Comment
Clutch size 37 1968-2005 26 None       Small sample
Brood size 37 1968-2005 60 Curvilinear 3.96 chicks 4.76 chicks 20%  
Daily failure rate (eggs) 37 1968-2005 46 None        
Daily failure rate (chicks) 37 1968-2005 51 None        
Laying date 37 1968-2005 26 Linear decline May 2 Apr 21 -11 days Small sample

 
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
 

Additional information
BTO blue divider
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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