Press Releases - March/April 2009
Item 12

No. 2009-04-16
April 2009

Is it farewell for the Cuckoo?

In the newly published ‘Say goodbye to the Cuckoo’, Mike McCarthy laments the disappearance of the sound of summer from the British countryside.

The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) support this feeling. Since 1994 these show a decline of 37%, and an overall decline of 59% since 1980. It is thought that the Cuckoo is the victim of a double whammy, struggling to find enough food during the breeding season here in the UK and suffering a similar fate on its wintering grounds in Africa.

‘Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo’ highlights the enormity of the challenges that these birds face. It is estimated that 16 million migrant birds arrive here every spring, and this natural spectacle is eagerly awaited by many of us. The Cuckoo is just one of these species but being the harbinger of summer, it might just be the most significant. The distinctive ‘cuckoo’ song is one of the best known of any bird, many people have never seen the bird but most of us know the song and relate this to the end of winter and the arrival of summer.

Andy Clements, Director, BTO, commented, “Migrant birds are important to us all and Mike manages to capture the essence of this in his wonderful book. We will all anticipate the arrival of the Cuckoo more keenly this year, and the inspiration Mike gives us helps re-energise the BTO’s work to understand the declines of iconic birds like Cuckoos, Nightingales and Swifts.”

The first Cuckoos of 2009 have already been reported, with single birds being seen and heard in Ireland, on the Isles of Scilly and in Kent. Over the next few weeks BTO volunteers will be out monitoring the arrival of Cuckoos and other migrant birds as they complete their long journeys. All of this information will then be reported to the BTO and form part of the long-term datasets that the Trust keeps, helping scientists follow the ups and downs of these global travellers.

For more information visit www.bto.org

Notes for Editors

1. The Cuckoo is the only member of its family to breed in Britain and is showing a steady decline. The estimated population in 2000 was 14,000 pairs. In the period 1981-2006 the Cuckoo showed a decline of 61% in the UK as a whole and is amber listed as a bird of conservation concern.

2. ‘Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo’ draws on data collected by the BTO on migrant birds. This data is collected by volunteers through a variety of surveys. For more information visit the BTO website, www.bto.org

3. The BTO is the UK’s leading bird research organisation.  Over thirty thousand birdwatchers contribute to the BTO’s surveys.  They collect information that forms the basis of conservation action in the UK.  The BTO maintains a staff of 80 at its offices in Norfolk and Stirling, who analyse and publicise the results of project work.  The BTO’s investigations are funded by government, industry and conservation organisations.

For further information, please contact:

Graham Appleton (Director of Communications on
Office:  01842 750050 (9am to 5.30pm)
Mobile: 07704 847935 (anytime)
Email:

Images are available for use alongside this News Release
Please contact quoting reference 2009-04-16.

The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews
Please contact us to book an interview
Office: 01842 750050