BBS population declines and increases

The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is a partnership between BTO, JNCC and RSPB. 

  1. BBS – UK alerts – 25 years
  2. BBS – England alerts – 25 years
  3. BBS – Scotland alerts – 25 years
  4. BBS – Wales alerts – 25 years
  5. BBS – Northern Ireland alerts – 25 years
  6. BBS – UK alerts – 10 years
  7. BBS – England alerts – 10 years
  8. BBS – Scotland alerts – 10 years
  9. BBS – Wales alerts – 10 years
  10. BBS – Northern Ireland alerts – 10 years
  11. BBS – UK alert – 5 years
  12. BBS – England alerts – 5 years
  13. BBS – Scotland alerts – 5 years
  14. BBS – Wales alerts – 5 years
  15. BBS – Northern Ireland alerts – 5 years
  16. BBS – UK population increases of >50% 25 years
  17. BBS – England population increases of >50% – 25 years
  18. BBS – Scotland population increases of >50% – 25 years   
  19. BBS – Wales population increases of >50% – 25 years
  20. BBS – Northern Ireland population increases of >50% – 25 years

6. Table of declines >25% for BBS UK 2010-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Greenfinch 10 1755 -65 -67 -63 >50  
Crossbill 10 72 -52 -63 -39 >50  
Swallow 10 2376 -44 -47 -41 >25  
Little Owl 10 68 -42 -53 -32 >25  
Swift 10 1008 -39 -45 -34 >25  
Wood Warbler 10 44 -39 -57 -14 >25  
Wheatear 10 418 -35 -43 -27 >25  
House Martin 10 1007 -34 -39 -29 >25  
Chaffinch 10 3021 -34 -36 -32 >25  
Sedge Warbler 10 326 -29 -38 -21 >25  
Marsh Tit 10 148 -29 -39 -19 >25  
Barn Owl 10 63 -28 -41 -9 >25  
Collared Dove 10 1572 -27 -31 -23 >25  
Grasshopper Warbler 10 97 -27 -44 -8 >25  
Spotted Flycatcher 10 156 -26 -38 -9 >25  

7. Table of declines >25% for BBS England 2010-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Turtle Dove 10 38 -81 -87 -74 >50  
Greenfinch 10 1500 -63 -65 -61 >50  
Swallow 10 1815 -49 -51 -46 >25  
Little Owl 10 66 -42 -53 -30 >25  
Tree Pipit 10 68 -42 -59 -21 >25  
Chaffinch 10 2348 -41 -42 -39 >25  
Swift 10 868 -39 -45 -32 >25  
House Martin 10 747 -39 -45 -34 >25  
Spotted Flycatcher 10 100 -36 -47 -22 >25  
Wheatear 10 238 -35 -44 -25 >25  
Grasshopper Warbler 10 47 -34 -49 -14 >25  
Dipper 10 36 -33 -49 -14 >25  
Collared Dove 10 1339 -32 -35 -29 >25  
Sedge Warbler 10 202 -28 -36 -19 >25  
Sparrowhawk 10 289 -27 -33 -19 >25  
Redshank 10 62 -27 -46 -2 >25  

8. Table of declines >25% for BBS Scotland 2010-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Greenfinch 10 101 -62 -69 -53 >50  
Wheatear 10 99 -36 -46 -23 >25  
Hooded Crow 10 56 -36 -54 -15 >25  
Swallow 10 243 -35 -43 -27 >25  
Kestrel 10 33 -32 -52 -1 >25  
Feral Pigeon/Rock Dove 10 89 -30 -46 -7 >25  
Lapwing 10 77 -29 -43 -14 >25  
Sedge Warbler 10 68 -27 -42 -6 >25  
Siskin 10 104 -26 -38 -13 >25  

9. Table of declines >25% for BBS Wales 2010-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Greenfinch 10 101 -79 -84 -74 >50  
Rook 10 82 -55 -64 -44 >50  
Swift 10 62 -54 -65 -40 >50  
House Martin 10 96 -47 -58 -34 >25  
Swallow 10 209 -40 -47 -31 >25  
Chaffinch 10 237 -37 -43 -31 >25  
Long-tailed Tit 10 77 -32 -46 -13 >25  
Tree Pipit 10 42 -29 -44 -2 >25  
Garden Warbler 10 65 -29 -43 -13 >25  
Wheatear 10 65 -28 -43 -8 >25  

10. Table of declines >25% for BBS Northern Ireland 2010-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Greenfinch 10 35 -83 -88 -76 >50  
Linnet 10 38 -47 -59 -31 >25  
Swallow 10 90 -34 -41 -28 >25  
Pheasant 10 52 -28 -39 -11 >25  
Willow Warbler 10 89 -28 -33 -19 >25  

11. Table of declines >25% for BBS UK 2015-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Wood Warbler 5 40 -44 -62 -27 >25  
Greenfinch 5 1481 -39 -42 -37 >25  
Spotted Flycatcher 5 143 -37 -47 -27 >25  
Swallow 5 2211 -35 -38 -33 >25  
Peregrine 5 64 -34 -47 -18 >25  
House Martin 5 945 -28 -33 -23 >25  

12. Table of declines >25% for BBS England 2015-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Tree Pipit 5 58 -40 -52 -25 >25  
Swallow 5 1668 -39 -42 -37 >25  
Greenfinch 5 1276 -39 -41 -36 >25  
Dipper 5 30 -37 -51 -19 >25  
Chaffinch 5 2201 -30 -31 -28 >25  
House Martin 5 693 -29 -34 -23 >25  
Kingfisher 5 52 -26 -40 -13 >25  

13. Table of declines >25% for BBS Scotland 2015-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Greenfinch 5 88 -29 -42 -14 >25  
Swallow 5 240 -28 -36 -20 >25  

14. Table of declines >25% for BBS Wales 2015-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Greenfinch 5 79 -54 -65 -44 >50  
House Martin 5 91 -40 -51 -27 >25  
Swift 5 56 -39 -52 -24 >25  
Swallow 5 203 -37 -43 -29 >25  
Rook 5 75 -33 -46 -19 >25  
Long-tailed Tit 5 78 -32 -44 -15 >25  
Chaffinch 5 231 -30 -34 -25 >25  
Tree Pipit 5 41 -29 -44 -6 >25  
Goldcrest 5 104 -28 -36 -17 >25  

15. Table of declines >25% for BBS Northern Ireland 2015-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
House Martin 5 54 -29 -39 -18 >25  
Pied Wagtail 5 55 -27 -39 -14 >25  

16. Table of population increases for BBS UK 1995-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Jackdaw 25 1851 65 51 79    
Buzzard 25 1159 95 79 111    
Tree Sparrow 25 192 100 57 167    
Canada Goose 25 524 106 69 150    
Nuthatch 25 565 113 92 136    
Chiffchaff 25 1681 118 109 132    
Great Spotted Woodpecker 25 1163 139 124 155    
Stonechat 25 166 147 95 220    
Goldfinch 25 1820 156 142 169    
Greylag Goose 25 267 180 39 495    
Blackcap 25 1760 194 176 214    
Barn Owl 25 50 228 148 389    
Gadwall 25 46 234 99 530    
Mandarin 25 35 621 275 1409    
Cetti's Warbler 25 33 626 270 5142    
Red Kite 25 188 1935 1141 3640    
Ring-necked Parakeet 25 88 1935 907 8847    
Little Egret 25 57 2380 866 64823    

17. Table of population increases for BBS England 1995-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Jackdaw 25 1491 81 68 95    
Canada Goose 25 478 82 42 135    
Great Spotted Woodpecker 25 1006 109 97 123    
Chiffchaff 25 1405 113 103 126    
Nuthatch 25 484 126 103 152    
Goldfinch 25 1496 148 132 166    
Blackcap 25 1486 157 145 172    
Stonechat 25 70 170 92 311    
Gadwall 25 43 210 81 463    
Buzzard 25 815 220 180 273    
Barn Owl 25 48 236 137 439    
Greylag Goose 25 219 311 159 597    
Cetti's Warbler 25 31 494 211 3861    
Ring-necked Parakeet 25 88 1935 927 7733    
Little Egret 25 52 2113 749 75032    
Red Kite 25 145 25276 14856 203433    

18. Table of population increases for BBS Scotland 1995-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Jackdaw 25 133 54 19 94    
House Sparrow 25 111 56 25 93    
Raven 25 57 60 21 113    
Reed Bunting 25 68 61 21 100    
Cuckoo 25 84 69 41 100    
House Martin 25 77 70 22 136    
Magpie 25 61 72 34 132    
Tree Pipit 25 38 80 36 137    
Long-tailed Tit 25 35 99 38 174    
Stonechat 25 41 102 46 208    
Whitethroat 25 93 118 45 192    
Goldfinch 25 116 243 177 338    
Great Spotted Woodpecker 25 63 405 282 630    
Blackcap 25 81 616 403 999    
Chiffchaff 25 75 982 591 1600    

19. Table of population increases for BBS Wales 1995-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Chiffchaff 25 154 62 40 92    
Jay 25 79 65 35 134    
House Sparrow 25 134 96 63 133    
Goldfinch 25 142 98 67 136    
Blackcap 25 139 197 151 263    
Great Spotted Woodpecker 25 92 225 163 302    
Stonechat 25 43 256 147 485    

20. Table of population increases for BBS Northern Ireland 1995-2020

Species Period
(yrs)
Plots
(n)
Change
(%)
Lower
limit
Upper
limit
Alert Comment
Dunnock 25 70 57 9 119    
Wren 25 91 58 22 99    
Jackdaw 25 76 60 24 113    
Song Thrush 25 77 71 36 110    
Collared Dove 25 36 87 19 333    
Pheasant 25 42 93 20 295    
Woodpigeon 25 84 119 68 173    
Great Tit 25 74 128 82 170    
Hooded Crow 25 81 178 121 260    
Goldfinch 25 53 513 309 1150    
Buzzard 25 34 1303 650 2995    
Blackcap 25 44 1650 1108 2985    

 

This report should be cited as: Massimino, D., Woodward, I.D., Hammond, M.J., Barber, L., Barimore, C., Harris, S.J., Leech, D.I., Noble, D.G., Walker, R.H., Baillie, S.R. & Robinson, R.A. (2020) BirdTrends 2020: trends in numbers, breeding success and survival for UK breeding birds. BTO Research Report 732. BTO, Thetford. www.bto.org/birdtrends