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WHEATEAR
Oenanthe oenanthe
 Wheatear photograph © Derek Belsey
 

• Population
  changes

• Productivity
  trends

• Additional
  information
Conservation listings
Europe: SPEC category 3 (declining)
UK: green
Long-term trend
UK: possible decline
UK population size
56,000 pairs in 1990 (1988–91 Atlas: APEP06); 52,500 pairs in 2000 (updated using BBS trend: BiE04); 100,000–200,000 pairs in Britain (Sellers 2006)
Status summary
Although it is a common breeding species in many upland areas, the Wheatear was not monitored at the UK scale until the BBS began in 1994. Gibbons et al. (1993) had by then identified range contractions from lowland Britain since 1968–72, perhaps due to losses of suitable grassland and declines in rabbit abundance. BBS shows wide fluctuations, with further decrease in England and Wales, but as yet no clear trend in abundance since 1994 in Scotland. BBS data indicate that the estimates of UK population made for the 1988–91 Atlas may have been far too low, possibly by an order of magnitude (Gillings et al. 2007). Failure rates at the egg stage (18 days, comprising 14 days incubation and 4 days laying) have fallen substantially. Wheatear is one of the most strongly declining bird species in Europe, having decreased at an annual rate of 5% during 1980–2005 (PECBMS 2007). Following widespread declines across Europe during the 1990s, the European status of this species is no longer considered 'secure' (BirdLife International 2004).
 

Population changes
BBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Wheatear

Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
BBS UK 11 1995-2006 269 -13 -28 4    
  10 1996-2006 273 -17 -31 1    
  5 2001-2006 293 -1 -16 14    
BBS England 11 1995-2006 133 -21 -35 1    
  10 1996-2006 135 -22 -35 -4    
  5 2001-2006 149 -13 -27 4    
BBS Scotland 11 1995-2006 75 -10 -34 27    
  10 1996-2006 74 -14 -38 21    
  5 2001-2006 71 4 -18 31    
BBS Wales 11 1995-2006 50 -25 -43 -8 >25  
  10 1996-2006 52 -24 -42 -9    
  5 2001-2006 59 -8 -20 6    

BBS acknowledgement
 
BBS England graph
BBS Scotland graph
BBS Wales graph
 

Productivity trends
Table of productivity changes for Wheatear

Variable Period
(yrs)		 Years Mean
annual
sample		 Trend Modelled
in first year		 Modelled
in 2006		 Change Comment
Clutch size 38 1968-2006 13 None       Small sample
Brood size 38 1968-2006 59 None        
Daily failure rate (eggs) 38 1968-2006 18 Curvilinear 0.82% nests/day 0.09% nests/day -89% Small sample
Daily failure rate (chicks) 38 1968-2006 40 None        
Laying date 38 1968-2006 13 None       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
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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