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BTO Blueline

LESSER WHITETHROAT
Sylvia curruca

Lesser Whitethroat © 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: fluctuating, with no long-term trend
England: shallow decline
UK population size
64,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)
Status summary
Lesser Whitethroat abundance was roughly stable (albeit with short-term fluctuations) from the 1960s until the late 1980s, but the CBC/BBS and CES trends provide evidence for a subsequent moderate decline that lasted into the late 1990s. These changes were statistically significant, and large enough over the relevant periods to trigger BTO alerts. BBS has subsequently shown a significant sharp upturn, but this contrasts strongly with the continued decrease recorded by CES ringers. Wide fluctuations in productivity have been recorded by CES ringers, and may be influencing population change, but pressures during migration and in winter are the most likely causes of decline (Fuller et al. 2005).
 

Population changes
CBC/BBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Lesser Whitethroat

Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
CBC/BBS UK 39 1967-2006 117 -8 -37 37    
  25 1981-2006 155 -18 -35 4    
  10 1996-2006 256 8 -6 16    
  5 2001-2006 259 12 1 24    
CBC/BBS England 39 1967-2006 112 -14 -40 30    
  25 1981-2006 148 -22 -36 1    
  10 1996-2006 245 6 -8 15    
  5 2001-2006 247 11 1 23    
CES adults 22 1984-2006 40 -59 -78 -40 >50  
  10 1996-2006 37 -49 -61 -32 >25  
  5 2001-2006 33 -17 -35 1    
CES juveniles 22 1984-2006 44 -54 -78 -27 >50  
  10 1996-2006 42 -51 -62 -38 >50  
  5 2001-2006 40 -35 -46 -18 >25  
BBS UK 11 1995-2006 229 -8 -24 3    
  10 1996-2006 233 5 -12 15    
  5 2001-2006 259 19 8 33    
BBS England 11 1995-2006 219 -9 -23 1    
  10 1996-2006 223 4 -11 12    
  5 2001-2006 247 17 8 29    

BBS acknowledgement
 
CBC/BBS England graph
CES adult abundance graph
CES juvenile abundance graph
BBS UK graph
BBS England graph
 

Productivity trends
Table of productivity changes for Lesser Whitethroat

Variable Period
(yrs)		 Years Mean
annual
sample		 Trend Modelled
in first year		 Modelled
in 2006		 Change Comment
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES) 22 1984-2006 55 Smoothed trend 74 Index value 100 Index value 36%  
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES) 10 1996-2006 53 Smoothed trend 79 Index value 100 Index value 27%  
Juvenile to Adult ratio (CES) 5 2001-2006 49 Smoothed trend 113 Index value 100 Index value -12%  

 

 

Insufficient data on clutch size
available for this species

 

 

Insufficient data on brood size
available for this species

 

 

Insufficient data on nest failure
available for this species

 

 

Insufficient data on nestling failure
available for this species

 

 

 

Insufficient data on laying date
available for this species
CES productivity graph
 

Additional information
BTO blue divider
 

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This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Joys, A.C., Noble, D.G.,
Barimore, C., Grantham, M.J., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. (2009).
Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2008.
BTO Research Report No. 516. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

Pages maintained by Iain Downie, Mandy T Andrews and Laura Smith: Last updated 18.02.2009