Global News - October 2007

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Some positive signs for UK birds

Mon 22 October 2007 12:00 UK — Europe,Birds

The UK government has published figures that indicate that the populations of wild birds in the UK have remained "broadly stable" over the last four decades.

According to official figures, the population index of 116 breeding bird species in the United Kingdom has remained stable since 1970.

However, the study did show that some types of birds have struggled to survive in the UK.

For example, the data revealed that the indicator for farmland birds in the UK is about 55 per cent of its 1970 value - however, the report stated that most of this decline took place before the 1990s.

Similarly, the indicator for woodland birds is 20 per cent lower than it was in 1970, but again most of the declines took place in late 1980s and early 1990s. In recent years, woodland bird numbers have remained stable.

The report also highlighted the fact that breeding seabird species and UK wintering wetland birds have increased from 1970 levels. However, it added that there is some recent evidence that numbers are now declining again.

The document concluded: "Bird populations are considered to be a good indicator of the broad state of wildlife and countryside because they occupy a wide range of habitats, they tend to be near or at the top of the food chain, and considerable long-term data on bird populations have been collected."

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