BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Chaffinch

CHAFFINCH
Fringilla coelebs

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: no SPEC category (concentrated in Europe, conservation status favourable)
UK: green (species level); amber (race gengleri, >20% of European breeders)

Long-term trend

UK, England: shallow increase

UK population size

5,974,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Chaffinch abundance has increased rapidly since the early 1970s, according to CBC/BBS and CES, but numbers seemed to stabilise for a period during the 1990s. This relative stability was associated with a reduction in annual survival, which could be density-dependent (Siriwardena et al. 1999). There was also some evidence of improved breeding performance during the early years of population increase, with larger brood sizes, fewer egg-stage nest failures, and more fledglings per breeding attempt, but these trends are now reversed. The downturn in numbers since 2006 is linked to the widespread and severe outbreak of trichomonosis that began in 2005, being greatest in areas with a high incidence of the disease (Robinson et al. 2010). The trend towards earlier laying may be partly explained by recent climate change (Crick & Sparks 1999). Chaffinches are well adapted to suburban and garden habitats, as well as to highly fragmented woodland and hedgerows, occurring less in the open-field, arable habitats that have been affected most by agricultural intensification, so it is possible that they have benefited by environmental changes from which other seed-eating passerines have suffered.

1967-2008: 25% (confidence interval 12% to 41%)

Population changes in detail

Table of population changes for Chaffinch

Source	Period (yrs)	Years	Plots (n)	Change (%)	Lower limit	Upper limit
CBC/BBS UK	41	1967-2008	934	25	12	41
	25	1983-2008	1394	12	4	19
	10	1998-2008	2515	5	2	8
	5	2003-2008	2717	0	-2	3
CBC/BBS England	41	1967-2008	746	32	18	52
	25	1983-2008	1105	19	10	26
	10	1998-2008	1983	9	6	13
	5	2003-2008	2160	0	-2	2
CES adults	24	1984-2008	78	22	-34	97
	10	1998-2008	90	-4	-29	20
	5	2003-2008	88	-7	-25	6
CES juveniles	24	1984-2008	60	5	-43	75
	10	1998-2008	70	58	-5	133
	5	2003-2008	68	11	-17	40
BBS UK	13	1995-2008	2284	9	5	14
	10	1998-2008	2458	5	2	8
	5	2003-2008	2717	0	-2	3
BBS England	13	1995-2008	1779	14	10	18
	10	1998-2008	1914	9	5	12
	5	2003-2008	2127	-1	-3	1
BBS Scotland	13	1995-2008	228	10	0	22
	10	1998-2008	235	8	-1	18
	5	2003-2008	263	7	1	15
BBS Wales	13	1995-2008	192	-10	-21	2
	10	1998-2008	215	-3	-9	5
	5	2003-2008	230	-4	-8	3
BBS N.Ireland	13	1995-2008	85	34	1	58
	10	1998-2008	96	-7	-21	9
	5	2003-2008	106	-7	-15	-1

Demographic trends

More on demographic trends

Additional information


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This report should be cited as: Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Renwick, A.R., Joys, A.C., Noble, D.G., Barimore, C., Conway, G.J., Downie, I.S., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. (2010). Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2010. BTO Research Report No. 565. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends) Pages maintained by Iain Downie, Mandy T Andrews and Laura Smith: Last updated 15.10.2010