BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Yellow Wagtail

YELLOW WAGTAIL
Motacilla flava

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: amber (25–50% population decline)
UK Biodiversity Action Plan: priority species

Long-term trend

UK, England: rapid decline

UK population size

11,500–26,500 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS and WBS trends: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Britain holds almost the entire population of the distinctive race flavissima, and so population changes in the UK are of global conservation signficance. Yellow Wagtails have been in decline since the early 1980s, according to CBC/BBS and especially WBS, and have now been moved from the green to the amber list. Further losses since 1999 already suggest that red listing is appropriate. Gibbons et al. (1993) identified a range contraction towards a core area in central England, concurrent with the early years of decline. Farmland drainage, the conversion of pasture to arable land, the change from spring to winter cereals, and the loss of insects associated with cattle have been cited as possible causes (Gibbons et al. 1993, Nelson et al. 2003). Although nest record sample sizes are small, there has been a notable reduction in brood size since the mid 1960s, and the species is listed as of NRS concern (Leech & Barimore 2008). The European trend, which includes other races of the species, has also been downward since 1980 (PECBMS 2007).

Population changes

Table of population changes for Yellow Wagtail

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit	Alert	Comment
CBC/BBS UK	39	1967-2006	71	-74	-88	-46	>50
	25	1981-2006	91	-70	-82	-55	>50
	10	1996-2006	164	-42	-53	-31	>25
	5	2001-2006	149	-25	-35	-14	>25
CBC/BBS England	39	1967-2006	69	-72	-85	-38	>50
	25	1981-2006	89	-68	-81	-49	>50
	10	1996-2006	160	-42	-49	-31	>25
	5	2001-2006	146	-24	-31	-13
WBS waterways	31	1975-2006	18	-97	-99	-93	>50	Small sample
	25	1981-2006	16	-97	-99	-95	>50	Small sample
BBS UK	11	1995-2006	158	-44	-53	-34	>25
	10	1996-2006	157	-43	-52	-33	>25
	5	2001-2006	149	-25	-31	-16
BBS England	11	1995-2006	154	-43	-52	-33	>25
	10	1996-2006	153	-42	-51	-32	>25
	5	2001-2006	146	-24	-31	-15

Productivity trends

Table of productivity changes for Yellow Wagtail

Variable	Period (yrs)	Years	Mean annual sample	Trend	Modelled in first year	Modelled in 2006	Change	Comment
Brood size	38	1968-2006	13	Linear decline	4.83 chicks	4.34 chicks	-10.1%	Small sample

Insufficient data on clutch 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

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