The Woodcock declined rapidly and significantly on CBC plots for the three decades up to 2000. Because CBC did not include many coniferous forests and its plots were concentrated in lowland Britain, however, it is not certain how clearly this trend represented the whole UK population at that time. Range contractions, that might have had the same cause as the decline in abundance, were recorded concurrently with part of the CBC decline (Gibbons et al. 1993). BBS is inefficient at recording this scarce, mainly crepuscular species, and cannot continue the index series.

The first special survey aimed at monitoring the UK's breeding Woodcock took place in 2003 and provided a new baseline population estimate for monitoring that was much higher than previously thought (Hoodless et al. 2009). It is important to note, though, that the upward revision of the population estimate is due to new methodology and carries no information about population trends. A repeat survey of breeding Woodcocks conducted by BTO volunteers in spring 2013 found a decline of 29% since 2003 (Heward et al. 2015), which is line with the loss of occupied 10-km squares, also 29%, between 1988-91 and 2008-11 (Balmer et al. 2013).

Through the decline in its UK breeding range, the species moved from amber to being red listed in the latest review (Eaton et al. 2015). The CBC decline had been discounted in 2009 as a reason for the species' amber listing (BoCC3), which rested on the breeding declines recorded across Europe, especially European Russia (BiE04). Annual numbers shot in the UK, which include winter visitors from some declining populations in Europe (generally considered stable), had increased around threefold since 1945 and were running at a historically high level in the early 2000s; however data since 2006 are not shown on the gamebag trend graph.

Woodcock breeding range has contracted markedly and now stands at less than half its 1960s extent, supporting other evidence of a gradual population decline.

Bird Atlas distribution change maps show how bird distributions have change through time. Coloured upward-pointing triangles show places apparently colonised over the period; grey downward-pointing triangles show places apparently vacated. Shading shows squares occupied in all periods.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Woodcocks are recorded most often in winter and during spring roding season; records decrease in late summer and early autumn when birds are moulting and less likely to be flushed.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.