BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Starling

STARLING
Sturnus vulgaris

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: SPEC category 3 (declining)
UK: red (>50% population decline)
UK Biodiversity Action Plan: in preparation

Long-term trend

England: rapid decline

UK population size

804,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06); 8,500,000 birds in Britain in 1994–2000 (Robinson et al. 2005a)

Status summary

The abundance of breeding Starlings in the UK has fallen rapidly, particularly since the early 1980s, and especially in woodland (Robinson et al. 2002, 2005a). The declines have been greatest in the south and west of Britain; recent BBS data suggest that populations have increased in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the overall UK trend continues to be strongly downward. The species' UK conservation listing has been upgraded from amber to red as the decline has become more severe. Strong improvements have occurred in breeding performance, suggesting that decreasing survival rates, particularly of young birds, may be responsible for the observed decline (Freeman et al. 2002, 2007b). Loss of permanent pasture, which is the species' preferred feeding habitat, and general intensification of livestock rearing are likely to be having adverse effects on rural populations, but other causes should be sought in urban areas (Robinson et al. 2002, 2005a). Widespread declines in northern Europe during the 1990s outweighed increases in the south, and the European status of this species is no longer considered 'secure' (BirdLife International 2004).

Population changes

Table of population changes for Starling

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert
CBC/BBS England	38	1967-2005	460	-83	-88	-77	>50
	25	1980-2005	640	-79	-83	-73	>50
	10	1995-2005	1343	-40	-44	-36	>25
	5	2000-2005	1350	-24	-28	-20
BBS UK	10	1995-2005	1588	-28	-33	-23	>25
	5	2000-2005	1659	-20	-25	-17
BBS England	10	1995-2005	1299	-38	-42	-34	>25
	5	2000-2005	1340	-24	-28	-21
BBS Scotland	10	1995-2005	131	-4	-20	14
	5	2000-2005	136	-15	-25	-1
BBS Wales	10	1995-2005	82	-45	-62	-24	>25
	5	2000-2005	89	-19	-33	0
BBS N.Ireland	10	1995-2005	67	86	32	158
	5	2000-2005	84	-10	-32	16

Productivity trends

Table of productivity changes for Starling

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Modelled in first year	Modelled in 2005	Change
Clutch size	37	1968-2005	77	Linear increase	4.43 eggs	4.93 eggs	11.4%
Brood size	37	1968-2005	206	Curvilinear	3.1 chicks	3.15 chicks	1.6%
Daily failure rate (eggs)	37	1968-2005	118	Linear decline	1.13% nests/day	0.3% nests/day	-73.5%
Daily failure rate (chicks)	37	1968-2005	138	Linear decline	0.62% nests/day	0.2% nests/day	-67.7%
Laying date	37	1968-2005	83	None

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