Latest Trends Report for Bird Populations

23 May  2012

Every year thousands of volunteer birdwatchers contribute to the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) run by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).   From this data,  BTO/JNCC/RSPB produce the BirdTrends Report  calculating the trends in bird numbers and demography for the UK and reviewing the latest research into probable causes of change.

An update to the BirdTrends Report shows the numbers for  Mistle Thrush and Tawny Owl  have declined by 50% and 25% respectively since the mid-1960s.  However the report shows that Chiffchaff and Blackcap populations have greatly increased in the last 25 years. 

JNCC’s Senior Monitoring Ecologist, Deborah Procter, “The BirdTrends pages paint a graphic picture of changes in bird numbers over time and provide a succinct summary of research done to understand why the changes are happening. It is important to understand what drives changes so that conservation action can be effectively targeted. What BirdTrends also shows is the consistent high quality recording effort put in by volunteer naturalists – without which our understanding of bird ecology would be significantly poorer.”

More Official Statistics we publish under the UK Biodiversity Satistics suite can be found here

Contact information

Dave Leech
(Senior Research Ecologist)
Office:  01842 750050
(9am-5.30pm)
 

Paul Stancliffe
(BTO Press Officer)
Office:  01842 750050
(9am-5.30pm)
Mobile: 07585 440910 (anytime)

 
Contact details for the JNCC press office are: 

Tel: Wendy Dalton 01733 866884 or Maddy Smith 01733 866886

Images are available for use alongside this News Release.
Please contact       quoting reference 2012-14

The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews. Please contact us to book an interview. Office: 01842 750050

Notes for Editors 

1. The BirdTrends report is a one-stop shop for information about the population status of the common birds of the wider UK countryside. It is based on data gathered by the many thousands of volunteers who contribute to BTO-led surveys. With one web page per species, users can quickly find all the key information about trends in population size and breeding performance over the period 1966–2010, as measured by BTO monitoring schemes.

2. The BTO is the UK’s leading bird research organisation. Over thirty thousand birdwatchers contribute to the BTO’s surveys. They collect information that forms the basis of conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 100 at its offices in Norfolk, Stirling and Bangor, who analyse and publicise the results of project work. The BTO’s investigations are funded by government, industry and conservation organisations.