The state of the UK’s birds 2016 One of the UK’s most-loved birds, Contents the puffin is now considered threatened 05 Headlines with global extinction. 06 Introduction 08 Wild bird indicators 10 Common and widespread breeding birds 17 Scarce and rare breeding birds 20 Recent surveys 24 Birds of Conservation Concern 4: an overview 28 Birds of Conservation Concern 4: the lists 30 Breeding seabirds 35 Wintering waterbirds 40 Birds in the UK Overseas Territories 44 Current and planned surveys 46 Acknowledgements Wren by Mark sysasya photography shutterstock.com photography Mark sysasya by Wren 47 Who we are: contact details Throughout this report species names are colour-coded according to their updated conservation status, as identified by Birds of Conservation Concern 4 (BoCC4), published in 2015 (see pages 24–29). All bird species are shown in bold. There are now 67 species identified as being of the greatest conservation concern that are Red-listed, 96 species of moderate concern that are Amber-listed and 81 species of least concern that are Green-listed. This report should be referenced as: Hayhow DB, Bond AL, Douse A, Eaton MA, Frost T, Grice PV, Hall C, Harris SJ, Havery S, Hearn RD, Noble DG, Oppel S, Williams J, Win I and Wotton S (2017) Mark Sisson (rspb-images.com) The state of the UK’s birds 2016. The RSPB, BTO, WWT, DAERA, JNCC, NE, NRW and SNH, Sandy, Bedfordshire. 2 The state of the UK’s birds 2016 The state of the UK’s birds 2016 3 Headlines • The latest Birds of Conservation Concern assessment (BoCC4) used the latest monitoring data to assign species to Red, Amber and Green lists of conservation concern. • The BoCC4 Red list grew substantially, with a net increase of 15, from 52 species in 2009 to 67 in 2015. More than a quarter of the species assessed are now Red-listed. • The BoCC4 Green list also increased, as 22 species moved from Amber to Green. While some moved due to minor changes in the assessment process, 13 moved to Green due to genuine improvements in status. • Targeted conservation action can and does improve the status of threatened species. Bitterns and nightjars are examples of this, moving from the Red to the Amber list in BoCC4. Woodlarks and bearded tits moved to the Green list as they are no longer declining in Europe. • Three species, Temminck’s stints, wrynecks and serins, have been lost as breeding species in the UK and were added to the list of "former breeders" in BoCC4. • Concern for the population status of curlews across Europe, highlighted by the species’ addition to the Red Wrynecks once bred list, has prompted the development of an International in most counties in Species Action Plan. • Good news from recent surveys: the British golden Britain, but are now eagle population has increased by 15% since 2003, and cirl buntings exceeded the 1,000-pair target considered a “former after 25 years of dedicated research and recovery breeder” by the Birds action by conservation partnerships. • In the UK Overseas Territories, St Helena plovers and Mark Sisson (rspb-images.com) of Conservation 4 Montserrat orioles were both down-listed from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable on the Global Red List as a assessment. result of positive population trends. 4 The state of the UK’s birds 2016 The state of the UK’s birds 2016 5 Introduction Time spent by volunteers on monitoring biodiversity The state of the UK’s birds (SUKB) report provides a one-stop shop for all the results from annual, periodic and one-off surveys and monitoring in the UK is worth studies of birds. many millions of pounds Since 1999, these reports have of the UK’s breeding and non- More than a quarter of the UK’s provided an annual overview of breeding bird species. These are bird species are now on the Red every year. the status of bird populations in listed in Birds of Conservation list, and in this report we highlight the UK and its Overseas Territories. Concern 4 (BoCC4), published some of the species that have We present trends for as many in December 2015. Species been reclassified since the last of the UK’s regularly occurring were assessed against a set of review in 2009, as well as those species as possible. objective criteria in order to be groups of species for which there placed on the Green, Amber or are particular concerns. This year’s SUKB reports on the Red lists – indicating increasing latest assessment of the status levels of conservation concern. A special thank you to volunteers Bird monitoring in the UK is led by The monitoring programmes and the commitment of carrying out non-governmental organisations surveys that feature in SUKB monthly counts, to the casual (NGOs) and the UK’s statutory provide the vital data required records submitted by birdwatchers nature conservation bodies, but to carry out status assessments to BirdTrack – every contribution is it relies on the efforts of many like BoCC4. valuable. If you are one of these thousands of volunteers. Without volunteers, thank you. If not, their time and dedication, the Many thousands of people take why not consider getting involved evidence base on which bird part in bird monitoring each year in in one of the wide variety of conservation in the UK depends the UK. While the amount of time monitoring opportunities outlined would simply not exist. each person spends varies – from on pages 44–45 of this report? The SUKB partnership SUKB 2016 is produced by a the Department of Agriculture, coalition of three NGOs: the Environment and Rural Affairs, Royal Society for the Protection Northern Ireland (DAERA), of Birds (RSPB), the British Trust the Joint Nature Conservation for Ornithology (BTO) and the Committee (JNCC), Natural Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), England (NE), Natural Resources together with the UK’s statutory Wales (NRW), and Scottish nature conservation bodies: Natural Heritage (SNH). Conservation relies on the efforts of thousands of dedicated volunteers. Balmer Dawn Ed Marshall (rspb-images.com) 6 The state of the UK’s birds 2016 The state of the UK’s birds 2016 7 120 100 80 100 80 60 60 40 All farmland birds (19) 40 Index (1970 = 100) 20 20 Percentage of species 0 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Long Short term term 120 100 80 100 80 60 All woodland birds (37) 60 40 40 Index (1970 = 100) 20 20 Percentage of species 0 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Long Short term term 120 Wild bird indicators:100 farmland, woodland and wetland 80 100 All water and wetland birds (26) 80 60 David Tipling David (rspb-images.com) 60 Turtle doves are highly40 dependent 40 Index (1975 = 100) Wild bird indicators: 20 on farmland for foraging when 20 Percentage of species 0 0 breeding in the UK. 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Long Short farmland, woodland term term UK Wild Bird Indicators by habitat Not available Strong increase Weak increase and wetland 120 No change Weak decline 100 Strong decline UK wild bird indicator 120 80 100 The UK wild bird indicators are The indicators are shown by • The farmland indicator 100 80 high-level measures of the state habitat type. They present the remains at less than half its 60 80 100 of birds. In conjunction with average population trends for bird 1970 starting value, with no 120 60 indicators for other well-monitored species associated with farmland, new farmland birds added 40 80 10060 All farmland birds (19) 40 groups, such as butterflies and woodland and wetlands, and for to the BoCC Red list. Of the Index (1970 = 100) 20 60 bats, they are used as a proxy for seabirds (page 30) and wintering 19 species in the indicator, 20 8040 100 Percentage of species The UK wild bird indicators were not the overall state of biodiversity. waterbirds (page 35). While they 10 were Red-listed already All farmland birds (19) 40 Index (1970 = 100) 0 0 updated in 2016, so the data here are They are used to track progress communicate broad trends, and (particularly those restricted 201970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 80 60 Long Short 20 the same as in SUKB 2015. towards targets for conserving are a good tool for summarising to or highly dependent on term term Percentage of species 60 the natural environment and these trends, it is important to farmland, such as grey 400 0 The figure in brackets shows the number 1201970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Long Short sustainable development goals. note that there is considerable partridges, turtle doves, tree All farmland birds (19) 40 of species. Index (1970 = 100) term term 20 variation in the individual species’ sparrows and corn buntings). 100 20 The line graph shows the unsmoothed 120 Percentage of species The presentation of the indicators trends that go into the indicator. trend (dashed line) and smoothed trend has changed over the years, By contrast, in more recent 800 0100 (solid line) with its 95% confidence 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Long Short to improve communication of To see how individual species years whitethroats have 100 interval (shaded). term term 80 their variability and assist with are faring, pages 11 and 13 continued their recovery and 60 80 100 120 All woodland birds (37) 60 The bar chart shows the percentage of interpretation of the trends. show trends in the common as a result have moved from species within the indicator that have The bar chart provided alongside and widespread breeding the Amber list to the Green 40 80 10060 40 increased, decreased, or shown no change Index (1970 = 100) (based on set thresholds of change).