BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Pied Wagtail

PIED WAGTAIL
Motacilla alba

• 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: uncertain

UK population size

272,000–352,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS and WBS trends: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Britain and Ireland together hold almost the entire population of the distinctive dark-backed race yarrellii, and for this reason population changes in the UK are of global conservation significance. The CBC shows that a strong increase occurred up to the mid 1970s, such that populations have shown moderate increase overall since 1966. Since 1974, however, the results of monitoring are somewhat conflicting: CBC/BBS and WBS trends fluctuate in parallel but, whereas little overall change is evident in the CBC/BBS index, WBS has shown a moderate decline, perhaps suggesting the influence of factors specific to linear waterways. The long-term trend in abundance is similar to those shown by Wren and Long-tailed Tit, two other resident insectivores (Siriwardena et al. 1998a). Average clutch and brood sizes have declined a little, raising NRS concern (Leech & Barimore 2008), but this has been counteracted by a fall in nest failure rates.

Population changes

Table of population changes for Pied Wagtail

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert
CBC/BBS UK	39	1967-2006	409	80	36	147
	25	1981-2006	588	2	-17	31
	10	1996-2006	1206	3	-3	9
	5	2001-2006	1288	-7	-12	-3
CBC/BBS England	39	1967-2006	315	86	32	163
	25	1981-2006	449	5	-18	41
	10	1996-2006	916	6	0	12
	5	2001-2006	979	-7	-11	-3
WBS waterways	31	1975-2006	64	-53	-66	-43	>50
	25	1981-2006	64	-39	-53	-25	>25
	10	1996-2006	58	-18	-32	-4
	5	2001-2006	52	-10	-23	2
BBS UK	11	1995-2006	1139	6	-1	12
	10	1996-2006	1171	4	-3	10
	5	2001-2006	1288	-6	-10	-2
BBS England	11	1995-2006	865	9	1	16
	10	1996-2006	888	6	0	12
	5	2001-2006	979	-6	-10	-2
BBS Scotland	11	1995-2006	123	-1	-17	17
	10	1996-2006	124	-3	-17	13
	5	2001-2006	123	-9	-20	-1
BBS Wales	11	1995-2006	110	9	-10	32
	10	1996-2006	114	8	-10	30
	5	2001-2006	131	3	-8	14
BBS N.Ireland	11	1995-2006	37	33	.	.
	10	1996-2006	41	28	.	.
	5	2001-2006	50	11	.	.

Productivity trends

Table of productivity changes for Pied Wagtail

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Modelled in first year	Modelled in 2006	Change
Clutch size	38	1968-2006	59	Linear decline	5.12 eggs	4.92 eggs	-3.9%
Brood size	38	1968-2006	114	Linear decline	4.53 chicks	4.34 chicks	-4.3%
Daily failure rate (eggs)	38	1968-2006	83	Curvilinear	1.52% nests/day	0.68% nests/day	-55.3%
Daily failure rate (chicks)	38	1968-2006	91	Linear decline	1.27% nests/day	0.84% nests/day	-33.9%
Laying date	38	1968-2006	79	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., 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