More of the UK's 246 regularly occurring birds than ever before have been placed on the red status list of the Birds of Conservation Concern (BOCC) report - according to the latest assessment.
The revised list, published today, now shows that 52 species have been afforded the highest conservation status, including many familiar countryside birds such as the cuckoo, lapwing and yellow wagtail, which join other formerly widespread species including the grey partridge, house sparrow, song thrush and starling.Worryingly, red list species now account for more than one in five (21 per cent) of all the UK's resident bird species. This is far more than compared to the last assessment in 2002, when 40 species (16 per cent) were red listed. Most species on the red list have suffered a recent halving of range or population in the UK, or have undergone a historical decline since 1800.
New species on the red list that are restricted to Scotland as breeding birds found nowhere else in the UK include the whimbrel and Arctic skua. Both these birds migrate mainly to Orkney and Shetland to breed each year. Due to the speed of its decline in the past five years, the Arctic skua is the only species that has gone straight to the red list from the green list, missing out amber altogether. Between 2000 and 2004 they declined by 46% (according to Scottish Government biodiversity indicators), and annual counts on RSPB reserves continue to reflect this alarming trend. This suggests that only 1,000 pairs now remain. Between 150-200 pairs of whimbrel now breed in the Northern Isles, reflecting a decline of more than 50% in the past 20 years.
The fieldfare and redwing, which are common passage migrants throughout the whole of the UK but have a small breeding population restricted to Scotland, have also been added to the red list due to a decline in their breeding numbers.
Whilst a link to climate change has not been demonstrated, the addition of these species to the red list, which are all on the southern edge of their nesting range in Britain, may provide some evidence of continuing deterioration of local conditions for these birds. These species only have a toehold in Scotland in recent decades, and that now appears to be slipping, although factors driving this are not yet fully understood.
The yellow wagtail, currently hanging on with roughly 10 pairs remaining in the Borders, is also new to the red list. If it disappears from here it will become extinct in Scotland.
Elsewhere across the UK other species new to the red list include a suite of birds visiting the UK in summer, notably the cuckoo, wood warbler and tree pipit. These birds are widespread, but rapidly declining, summer visitors to the UK. Their addition to the red list is highlighting the concern that many long-distance migratory birds nesting in Europe and wintering in Africa are increasingly in trouble. Currently 21 of the birds on the red list are summer visitors to the UK, with the majority of these spending the winter in sub-Saharan Africa.The continued decline of widespread farmland and woodland birds is a theme which has developed since the compilation of the last list in 2002. Lapwing, a formerly much-more widespread wading bird, and the hawfinch, a woodland bird largely confined to England, have both joined the red list in the latest assessment.
In addition to the Arctic skua, two other species of seabird join the red list for the first time. The Balearic shearwater - a smaller relative of the albatross - visits the UK from its Mediterranean breeding grounds regularly each autumn. This seabird, which is thought to face a higher risk of global extinction even than the giant panda - is the rarest bird to regularly occur in the UK. The familiar herring gull also joins the red list as its population has more than halved in recent times.For the first time two winter-visiting birds have joined the red list. The dunlin, a starling-sized wading bird, and the scaup - a duck – have been placed on the red list because of declines in wintering populations. The ongoing decline of the dunlin population has seen this wader slump to its lowest levels since recording began.
However, the 2009 assessment does contain some good news. Six species (stone-curlew, woodlark, quail, Scottish crossbill, bullfinch and reed bunting) have been removed from the 2002 red list, largely because of a recovery in their numbers or range, or a better understanding of their populations. These species are now placed on the amber list.
The stone-curlew is a bird of farmland and open countryside. Virtually confined to Wessex and central East Anglia, the stone-curlew population has increased because of the fantastic efforts by farmers and landowners to improve the fortunes of this striking wading bird.
Improvements in land management, especially of heathland, have also led to a dramatic increase in the UK population of the woodlark, a heathland bird. The bullfinch and the reed bunting have also been placed on the amber list following modest recoveries in their populations.
The Scottish crossbill – the only bird species with its total world range confined to the UK – has also been removed from the red list. A survey (funded by RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage) found between 10,000 to 15,000 of this colourful finch, and its population is currently thought to be stable.
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The changing lists
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2002
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2009
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Red
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40 species
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52 species
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Amber
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121 species
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126 species
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Green
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86 species
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68 species
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Total species considered
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247
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246
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Five species assessed in 2002 ( bluethroat, scarlet rosefinch, icterine warbler, hoopoe and snow goose) were not considered in the 2009 revision, because they failed to meet the qualifying criteria for inclusion.
Four species not assessed in 2002 (Balearic shearwater; shorelark; yellow-legged gull; and hooded crow) were considered in the 2009 revision for the first time.
Birds of Conservation Concern 3 is compiled by a partnership of organisations, including the British Trust for Ornithology, Countryside Council for Wales, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural England, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage, and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust,
The full Birds of Conservation Concern 3 report will be published in the June edition of British Birds.
Quotes.
Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland, said: "An increasing number of familiar birds are joining the list of those species most in need of help. As recently as 20 years ago, people would have dismissed the idea of a population threat to widespread and popular birds such as starlings, house sparrows and lapwings. Now these have become some of our most pressing conservation priorities. More worrying is the fact that this list is growing at an alarming rate, and we face the possibility of local extinctions for some species unless concerted management is undertaken for them. We have shown that for some species investment can turn the corner, for example with the corncrake. But for many others we need the help of thousands of farmers and land managers if we are to succeed in protecting them from further declines."
Dr Andrew Douse, of Scottish Natural Heritage, said: "The decline of some of the scarce breeding species such as whimbrel is possibly another indicator of the impact of climate change. Whimbrel numbers have declined dramatically in parts of Shetland, their only stronghold in Scotland, and further survey work is needed to see if this decline is repeated in other areas where this charismatic northern species breeds. Climate change may also be affecting another species population, the Greenland white-fronted goose, an Arctic breeding species that has seen a marked decline in the flocks that winters on many of the islands of western Scotland. However, it isn't all bad news and the recovery of the corncrake and apparent health of the endemic Scottish crossbill, is very welcome news, and shows what can be achieved when we understand the reasons behind these changes in numbers."
Dr Chris Wernham, head of BTO Scotland, said: "Thousands of volunteer surveyors ensure we know what is happening to our birds, and it is their dedication that underpins this report. Worrying population declines have caused 18 birds to be red-listed for the first time – species such as lapwing on farms, hawfinch in woods, and Arctic skua on northern islands. A gap all of us will notice is the lack of the cuckoo’s familiar song, their decline emblematic of downward trends in many long-distance migrants from Africa. That is why the BTO and our partners are working together, targeting research at understanding why migrant birds are in decline. After all, as this report shows, when we know what to do, and there are funds to do it, we can improve the fortunes of birds such as stone curlew and woodlark. Success stories fire-up our volunteers, knowing their work can make a real difference to our birds!”
Rich Hearn, WWT’s Head of Species Monitoring, said:
“The inclusion of wintering water birds on the red list for the first time due to severe declines in numbers highlights an increasingly widespread phenomenon, that of climate-change driven shifts in distribution. These migrant water birds, along with many others on the amber list, are visiting the UK in smaller numbers. Whilst they may not currently be declining at a population scale, uncertainties exist over whether such shifts will have detrimental effects in the longer term. Furthermore, our ability to track their status will become more difficult unless there is greater investment elsewhere in developing monitoring schemes like those well-established in the UK. Breeding water birds are declining too. Our common scoter population has fallen by more than 80 percent, and almost 50 percent in the past 12 years. Despite this, relatively little is known about this unobtrusive duck and ecological research is thus urgently required in order to ascertain the causes of its rapid decline.”
Dr Adam Smith, Scottish policy officer for the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: "Our research on grey partridge shows that where targeted management is carried out then these and other farmland birds respond positively. However, the loss of set-aside has not helped declining farmland birds, and we believe a more radical approach is required that will reward farmers for conservation successes."
Peter Bridgewater, Chair of JNCC, said: "The review has highlighted the significance of UK marine areas for the globally threatened Balearic Shearwater. The importance of British waters for this seabird – where it occurs in significant numbers – was not previously known. The review demonstrates the international significance of the UK, especially its marine environments, for many species, and their conservation in the UK is an important foundation in protecting many birds across their international ranges."
Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust: Morag Walker, head of media, on: 01425 651000
Photographs are available to download free of charge from the RSPB Images website. To download images, click on the hyperlink below and please enter the username and password when prompted.
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NOTES:
1) Birds of Conservation Concern 3 has been produced by a partnership of organisations, including: BirdLife International; British Birds; British Trust for Ornithology (BTO); Countryside Council for Wales (CCW); Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT); Hawk and Owl Trust; Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC); The National Trust; Natural England; Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP); RSPB; Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH); The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club; the Seabird Group; Welsh Ornithological Society; Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).
2) Birds of Conservation Concern 3, the list in detail.
RED LIST
Species added to the 2009 Red list that were previously on the 2002 Amber list; cuckoo; dunlin; fieldfare; golden oriole; hawfinch; herring gull; lapwing; lesser redpoll; redwing; ruff; scaup; Temminck’s stint; tree pipit; whimbrel; wood warbler; and yellow wagtail.
Species added to the 2009 Red list that were previously on the 2002 Green list: Arctic skua.
Species added to the Red list after their first assessment: Balearic shearwater;
The following species on the 2002 red list have remained on the 2009 red list: aquatic warbler; bittern; black grouse; black-tailed godwit; capercaillie; cirl bunting; common scoter; corn bunting; corncrake; grasshopper warbler; grey partridge; hen harrier; house sparrow; lesser spotted woodpecker; linnet; marsh tit; marsh warbler; nightjar; red-backed shrike; red-necked phalarope; ring ouzel; roseate tern; Savi’s warbler; skylark; song thrush; spotted flycatcher; starling; tree sparrow; turtle dove; twite; white-tailed eagle; willow tit; wryneck; and yellowhammer.
AMBER LIST
The following species on the 2002 Red list have now been added to the 2009 Amber list: bullfinch; quail; reed bunting; Scottish crossbill; stone-curlew; and woodlark.
The following species on the 2002 Amber list have remained on the 2009 Amber list: Arctic tern; avocet; barn owl; barnacle goose; bar-tailed godwit; bean goose; bearded tit; Bewick’s swan; black guillemot; black redstart; black-necked grebe; black-headed gull; black-throated diver; brent goose; chough; common gull; crane; curlew; Dartford warbler; dotterel; dunnock; eider; European storm-petrel; firecrest; fulmar; gadwall; gannet; garganey; golden eagle; goldeneye; great northern diver; great skua; green sandpiper; green woodpecker; grey plover; grey wagtail; greylag goose; guillemot; honey-buzzard; house martin; kestrel; kingfisher; kittiwake; knot; Leach’s storm-petrel; lesser black-backed gull; little egret; little tern; manx shearwater; marsh harrier; meadow pipit; Mediterranean gull, merlin, mistle thrush, Montagu’s harrier; nightingale; osprey; oystercatcher; parrot crossbill; pink-footed goose; pintail; pochard; puffin; purple sandpiper; razorbill; red grouse; red kite; red-necked grebe; redshank; redstart; red-throated diver; ringed plover; sand martin; sandwich tern; serin; shag; shelduck; short-eared owl; shoveler; Slavonian grebe; snipe; snow bunting; spoonbill; spotted crake; spotted redshank; stock dove; swallow; teal; turnstone; velvet scoter; whooper swan; wigeon; willow warbler; wood sandpiper; and woodcock;
The following species have been added to the 2009 Amber list from the 2002 Green list: black tern; common sandpiper; common tern; crested tit; glaucous gull; golden plover; great black-backed gull; Iceland gull; jack snipe; Lapland bunting; little grebe; little gull; mallard; pied flycatcher; short-toed treecreeper; smew; sooty shearwater; swift; tufted duck; water pipit; wheatear; whinchat; and whitethroat.
The following species have been assessed for the first time and added to the Amber list: shorelark; yellow-legged gull
GREEN LIST
The following species on the 2002 Green list have remained on the 2009 Green list: Blackbird; Blackcap; Blue tit; Brambling; Buzzard; Carrion Crow; Cetti's warbler; Chaffinch; Chiffchaff; Coal tit; Collared dove; Common Redpoll; Coot; Crossbill; Curlew sandpiper; Dipper; Garden warbler; Goldfinch; Goosander; Goshawk; Great crested Grebe; Great shearwater; Great spotted woodpecker; Great tit; Greenfinch; Greenshank; Grey heron; Hobby; Hooded Crow (first time assessed); Jackdaw; Jay; Lesser whitethroat; Little auk; Little ringed plover; Little stint; Long-eared owl; Long-tailed skua; Long-tailed tit; Magpie; Moorhen; Nuthatch; Pied wagtail; Pomarine skua; Ptarmigan; Raven; Red-breasted merganser; Reed warbler; Robin; Rock dove/feral pigeon; Rock pipit; Rook; Sanderling; Sedge warbler; Siskin; Sparrowhawk; Tawny owl; Treecreeper; Waxwing; Woodpigeon; and Wren;
The following species on the 2002 Amber list have been added to the 2009 Green list: Cormorant; Goldcrest; Long-tailed duck; Mute swan; Peregrine; Stonechat ; Water rail ; and White-fronted goose.
3) Action for Birds in England is a conservation partnership between Natural England and the RSPB. The partnership targets funding and conservation efforts on priority species and restoring important habitat.