BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Reed Bunting

REED BUNTING
Emberiza schoeniclus

• 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

192,000–211,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS and WBS trends: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Red-listing for this species is based on a 62% decline on CBC plots between 1974 and 1999. Both CBC/BBS and WBS indices declined rapidly during the 1970s, but Reed Bunting abundance subsequently remained remarkably stable. The early increase in the CBC index was associated with a gradual spread into drier habitats, especially farmland, and it is likely that the subsequent decline was related to agricultural intensification. Detailed demographic analyses suggest that the decline was driven by decreasing survival rates and that a subsequent population recovery may have been prevented by increased nest losses (Peach et al. 1999). This is supported by a moderate decline in CES productivity and a significant increase in failure rates at the egg stage. In recent years, BBS results indicate significant population increase. Farmland densities are four times higher in oilseed rape than in cereals or setaside and this crop is crucial in reducing the dependency of the species on wetlands (Gruar et al. 2006). Numbers have fallen widely in Europe since 1980 (PECBM 2006).

Population changes

Table of population changes for Reed Bunting

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert
CBC/BBS UK	38	1967-2005	182	-21	-40	1
	25	1980-2005	221	-5	-27	15
	10	1995-2005	414	22	11	33
	5	2000-2005	428	27	16	42
CBC/BBS England	38	1967-2005	144	-25	-42	-1
	25	1980-2005	172	-9	-28	9
	10	1995-2005	313	18	7	29
	5	2000-2005	314	30	20	39
WBS waterways	30	1975-2005	52	-59	-75	-36	>50
	25	1980-2005	53	-37	-58	-8	>25
	10	1995-2005	54	11	-17	51
	5	2000-2005	44	23	6	46
CES adults	21	1984-2005	59	-47	-60	-33	>25
	10	1995-2005	69	-18	-30	-1
	5	2000-2005	62	12	0	31
CES juveniles	21	1984-2005	42	-70	-80	-51	>50
	10	1995-2005	49	-48	-58	-30	>25
	5	2000-2005	45	-9	-25	10
BBS UK	10	1995-2005	382	25	13	39
	5	2000-2005	420	26	17	40
BBS England	10	1995-2005	284	20	6	32
	5	2000-2005	307	28	19	41
BBS Scotland	10	1995-2005	44	43	14	81
	5	2000-2005	48	21	-6	55

Productivity trends

Table of productivity changes for Reed Bunting

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Modelled in first year	Modelled in 2005	Change
Clutch size	37	1968-2005	44	None
Brood size	37	1968-2005	61	None
Daily failure rate (eggs)	37	1968-2005	52	Linear increase	0.73% nests/day	2.7% nests/day	269.9%
Daily failure rate (chicks)	37	1968-2005	52	None
Laying date	37	1968-2005	49	None
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	21	1984-2005	62	Smoothed trend	212 Index value	100 Index value	-53% >50
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	10	1995-2005	73	Smoothed trend	180 Index value	100 Index value	-44% >25
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES)	5	2000-2005	65	Smoothed trend	111 Index value	100 Index value	-10%

Egg nest failure graph

Chick nest failure graph

Laying date graph

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