e-Digest Statistics about: Wildlife
Birds
Monitoring activities for birds involving hundreds of volunteers are coordinated by organisations such as the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) with funding for many monitoring schemes provided by Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). Defra is using the wild bird population data as one of its framework indicators of sustainable development.
Table 10 shows the index based on 113 species of common breeding birds. Farmland and woodland birds have been generally declining from the mid 1970's. Although 1970 is taken as the base year, it should not be assumed that this represents the ideal wild bird population - the index is intended to show how bird populations have been changing over time.
Table 31 shows the individual bird species indices which are used to calculate the annual indices shown in Table 10 - Index of population of wild birds and Key Fact - Population of wild birds: 1970-2006. To form the all-species UK bird indices, each species is given equal weighting, and the annual indicator figure is the geometric mean of the species indices for that year. Individual species populations within the index may be increasing or decreasing, irrespective of the overall trends. The index is derived by modelling and estimates are revised when new data or improved methodologies are developed and applied retrospectively to earlier years.
The individual species indices in Table 31 are separated by habitat group; woodland, farmland, seabird, upland, lowland wetland and other/not classified, as well as showing the all species index. Generalist and specialist (those that breed mainly or solely on woodland/farmland) species are identified for the woodland and farmland indices.
When using the individual bird species indices, particular attention should be paid to the footnotes and notes included in the workbook.
The index does not include rare birds, where many populations have been stable or steadily increasing, largely because of the conservation effort focused on these rare birds. In contrast, populations of more common farmland birds such as the skylark and the starling, and woodland birds such as the song thrush have fallen by more than half. Although the index increased in 1999 this is largely as a result of the mild winter. The population peak in the mid 1970s can also be attributed to the population recovery after the harsh winters of the late 1960s.
These latest figures do not alter the fact that populations of wild birds, particularly farmland species, are in long term decline. In 2000 The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Foods (MAFF) announced a Public Service Agreement Target (PSA). This pledged to "reverse the long term decline in the number of farmland birds by 2020". The wild bird population index will be used to measure progress towards this target. Table 11 gives the estimated average populations [5] for the 16 most common species of British breeding birds, together with estimates of the percentage changes in breeding numbers of these species between 1973 and 1999.
The estimates in Table 10 , Table 11 and Table 31 were derived using a number of methods and sources, with most data previously from the BTO's long running Common Birds Census (CBC). The CBC has now been discontinued and replaced by the Breeding Birds Survey (BBS), with an overlap of 7 years between the two sources, covering 1994 to 2000. Estimates for this period are based on a combination of both sources, while estimates from 2000 are based entirely on the BBS. The change in source data is believed to provide better estimates for most species, and has had little effect on the overall trends and patterns in the year-on-year changes.
It was not possible to complete the BBS in 2001 because of the restrictions on access resulting from the occurrence of Foot and Mouth Disease: estimates for 2001 are based on the average of 2000 and 2002 for individual species.
The RSPB have published 'The Population Status of Birds in the UK: Birds of Conservation Concern 2002-2007'. The population status of 247 birds were assessed and each placed onto one of three lists, 'red' (high conservation concern), 'amber' (medium conservation concern) and 'green'. Out of the 247 species, 40 are red listed, 121 are amber listed and 86 are green listed. The listings will help inform conservation action over the period 2002-2007. The species are listed in Table 27.
Regional data
We do not have data at a lower geographical level. The local representatives from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology would be able to provide local knowledge.
In Detail:
- Wildlife monitoring (Environmental Change Network)
Further Information:
- Press Release:
- Bulletin, 15 March, 2007: Wild Bird Indicators for the English Regions
- 19 October 2006: Wild bird populations: sustainable development strategy indicators, Statistical release 445/06
- Key Facts:
- Population of wild birds
- Changes in woodland bird populations
- Changes in farmland bird populations
- Sustainable Development Indicators:
- Revised indicators June 2007, please see: UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy indicators
Data Tables:
| Table
No. |
Title | Download
file type |
| 10 | Index of population of wild birds - A framework indicator of sustainable Development | |
| 11 | Population and changes in breeding numbers for the most common British breeding birds: 1974-1999 | |
| Related Table(s) from ECN section | ||
| 27 | The Population Status of Birds in the UK - Birds of conservation concern: 2002-2007 | |
| 31 | Index of the UK population of wild birds - Individual species indices |
- References, further reading and links to other resources:
- [5] Stone, B., Sears, J., Cranswick, P., Gregory, R., Gibbons, D., Rehfisch, M., Aebischer N. and Reid, J., (1996) Population estimates of birds in Britain and the United Kingdom. Avian Population Estimates Panel.
- [12] Gibbons, D.W., Reid, J.B. and Chapman, R.A., (1993). The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988-1991. T. and A.D. Poyser, London.
- [13] Sharrock, J.T.R., (1976). The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1968-1972. T. and A.D. Poyser, London.
- [14] Walsh, P.M., Brindley, E. and Heubeck, M, (1995). Seabird numbers and breeding success in Britain and Ireland, 1994. JNCC, Peterborough.
- RSPB: Monitoring and prioritisation, data and indicators
- RSPB: The population status of birds in the UK: birds of conservation concern, 2002-2007
- Internet Links:
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
Your questions and comments about information presented on this page are welcome. Contact information and Email . Copyright of data and/or information presented or attached in this document may not reside solely with this Department. Please see guidance on Copyright.
Page last modified: 18 October 2007
Page published: 19 October 2006