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THE POPULATION STATUS OF BIRDS IN THE
UK
Birds of Conservation Concern: 2002-2007
THE POPULATION STATUS
OF THE UK’S1 BIRDS
The leading governmental and non-governmental conservation organisations
in the UK have reviewed the population status of the birds that are regularly
found here.
A total of 247 species have been assessed and each placed onto one of
three lists – red, amber or green. Forty species are red-listed,
121 are amber-listed and 86 are green-listed.
The lists update earlier assessments, Birds of conservation concern
and Birds of conservation importance, which were published in
1996. The population status of birds is reviewed every five years to keep
track of changes in abundance and range. The new lists are based on the
most up-to-date information available, principally:
- Information on the global and European conservation status of UK bird
species from BirdLife International’s Threatened Birds of
the World and Birds in Europe
- Information on trends in breeding populations and range sizes from
the BTO2/JNCC3
Common Birds Census and Waterways Bird Survey; the BTO/JNCC/RSPB4
Breeding Bird Survey: the JNCC/RSPB/SOTEAG5
seabird monitoring programme and Seabird 2000; the Rare Breeding Birds
Panel; single-species surveys, mostly undertaken as part of the SCARABBS6
agreement; and the BTO/SOC7/IWC8
New Atlas of Breeding Birds
- Information on population trends in non-breeding birds from the BTO/WWT9/RSPB/JNCC
Wetland Bird Survey and WWT/JNCC goose counts
- Information on species’ distributions from BirdLife’s
Important Bird Areas in Europe and the JNCC’s The
UK SPA Network
- Information on population sizes in the UK and Europe from the Avian
Population Estimates Panel and BirdLife/EBCC’s10
European Bird Population Estimates and Trends
 THE
CRITERIA
Seven quantitative criteria were used to assess the population status
of each species and place it onto the red, amber
or green list. These criteria are listed below. The review excluded species
that are not native to the UK1 and those that
occur irregularly as vagrants or scarce migrants.
- GLOBAL CONSERVATION STATUS
Species assessed as Globally Threatened using IUCN11
criteria were placed on the red list.
- RECENT DECLINE
Species whose breeding or non-breeding population declined, or range
contracted, rapidly (by more than 50%) or moderately (by between 25
and 49%) over the last 25 years were placed on the red
and amber lists respectively.
- HISTORICAL DECLINE
Species whose populations declined severely between 1800 and 1995 were
placed on the red list, except for those that
have recovered substantially (more than doubled) in the last 25 years,
which were amber-listed12.
In earlier assessments, all species showing a serious historical decline
were red-listed, but in this assessment the success of recent conservation
action has been recognised by moving recovering species to the amber
list.
- EUROPEAN CONSERVATION STATUS
Species whose population status is unfavourable in Europe (but which
are not Globally Threatened) were placed on the amber
list.
- RARE BREEDERS
Species with a mean population size of 1-300 pairs breeding annually
over the last five years were placed on the amber
list. If a full census was carried out in a single year, the result
of this was used instead of a five-year mean.
- LOCALISED SPECIES
Species for which 50% or more of the breeding or non-breeding population
occurs at 10 or few sites were placed on the amber
list. This criterion was used because a species whose population
is confined to a few sites faces a greater threat from chance events
than one whose population is widespread. The sites considered were either
Important Bird Areas (identified by BirdLife International) or Special
Protection Areas (designated under the European Union’s Directive
on the Conservation of Wild Birds).
- INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE
Species with 20% or more of their European population breeding in the
UK were placed on the amber list, as were
non-breeding wildfowl with 20% or more of their northwest European population
occurring in the UK and non-breeding waders with 20% or more of their
East Atlantic Flyway population occurring in the UK. This criterion
is different from the others as it is a measure of the UK’s responsibility
for each species rather than the extent to which species are threatened.
- Red list species are those that are
Globally Threatened according to IUCN criteria; those whose population
or range has declined rapidly in recent years; and those that
have declined historically and not shown a substantial recent
recovery.
- Amber list species are those with
an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, those whose population
or range has declined moderately in recent years; those whose
population has declined historically but made a substantial recent
recovery; rare breeders; and those with internationally important
or localised populations.
- Species that fulfil none of the criteria are green-listed.
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CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS
The new listings describe the population status of each species and will,
when combined with additional information, help to guide conservation action
between 2002 and 2007. Importantly, both non-governmental and governmental
organisations have endorsed the new lists. The JNCC will use this objective
review as one element of its ongoing Species Status Assessment Programme,
which will in turn inform the revision of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
 FARMLAND
BIRDS
The 1996 assessments helped to focus attention on a suite
of widespread but rapidly declining birds of farmed land, such as the
turtle dove, the skylark and the corn
bunting. It is generally accepted that these species have declined
because of agricultural intensification, and in the last few years a range
of schemes have been introduced to help them. All of the birds of farmed
land that were on the red list in the earlier
assessments are still there. In addition, another farmland bird, the yellowhammer,
has joined them. Many red list species remain
relatively common in the countryside despite substantial declines.
WOODLAND AND URBAN BIRDS
Birds from two new groups appear on the red list:
lowland woodland birds and urban birds. The red-listed woodland birds are
the lesser spotted woodpecker, the marsh tit
and the willow tit, which have declined by 73%, 50% and
80% respectively over the last 25 years. A number of other woodland species
have entered the amber list. The urban species
new to the red list are, remarkably, the house
sparrow and the starling, both of which were formerly
ubiquitous but have declined by more than 60%. In contrast to the situation
with farmland birds, we do not know why these woodland and urban species
have declined, and urgently need to find out. As with farmland birds, some
of these species remain quite common despite severe declines.
NORTHERN/UPLAND BIRDS
Several species characteristic of Scotland, Wales or northern England, such
as the capercaillie and the black grouse,
remain on the red list because of continuing steep
declines. Others, such as the corncrake and the white-tailed
eagle, are still red-listed although
their numbers are increasing due to successful conservation action. One
upland bird, the ring ouzel, is new to the red
list.
SUCCESSES
Although the overall number of species on the red list has increased
since the last assessment (from 36 to 40), five species have moved from
red to amber. The populations of the red kite, marsh
harrier, osprey, merlin and
Dartford warbler have more than doubled in the last 25
years, even though they had declined substantially previously. Much of
the recent increase in these species is due to the success of targeted
conservation action.
While it is encouraging to see the success
of conservation actions for some of our rare species, reversing the declines
of widespread and common species remains a key challenge in bird conservation
today.
Footnotes |
| 1 |
This review covers the UK, the Channel Islands and the
Isle of Man |
| 2 |
British Trust for Ornithology |
| 3 |
Joint Nature Conservation Committee |
| 4 |
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |
| 5 |
Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group |
| 6 |
Statutory Conservation Agencies and RSPB Annual Breeding Bird Survey |
| 7 |
Scottish Ornithologists’ Club |
| 8 |
Irish Wildbird Conservancy (now BirdWatch Ireland) |
| 9 |
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust |
| 10 |
European Bird Census Council |
| 11 |
The World Conservation Union |
| 12 |
However, globally threatened species and those with populations
of fewer than 100 breeding pairs in the UK remain red-listed |
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