BBS population declines & increases
- BBS – UK alerts – 23 years
- BBS – England alerts – 23 years
- BBS – Scotland alerts – 23 years
- BBS – Wales alerts – 23 years
- BBS – Northern Ireland alerts – 23 years
- BBS – UK alerts – 10 years
- BBS – England alerts – 10 years
- BBS – Scotland alerts – 10 years
- BBS – Wales alerts – 10 years
- BBS – Northern Ireland alerts – 10 years
- BBS – UK alert – 5 years
- BBS – England alerts – 5 years
- BBS – Scotland alerts – 5 years
- BBS – Wales alerts – 5 years
- BBS – Northern Ireland alerts – 5 years
- BBS – UK population increases of >50% – 23 years
- BBS – England population increases of >50% – 23 years
- BBS – Scotland population increases of >50% – 23 years
- BBS – Wales population increases of >50% – 23 years
- BBS – Northern Ireland population increases of >50% – 23 years
| 1. Table of declines >25% for BBS UK 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Dove | 23 | 122 | -95 | -96 | -93 | >50 | |
| Willow Tit | 23 | 44 | -82 | -87 | -75 | >50 | |
| Wood Warbler | 23 | 52 | -66 | -78 | -54 | >50 | |
| Grey Partridge | 23 | 223 | -64 | -69 | -57 | >50 | |
| Greenfinch | 23 | 1848 | -64 | -66 | -61 | >50 | |
| Little Owl | 23 | 93 | -62 | -69 | -54 | >50 | |
| Swift | 23 | 1069 | -58 | -62 | -53 | >50 | |
| Whinchat | 23 | 78 | -57 | -69 | -47 | >50 | |
| Starling | 23 | 1843 | -53 | -56 | -48 | >50 | |
| Spotted Flycatcher | 23 | 190 | -51 | -60 | -41 | >50 | |
| Curlew | 23 | 540 | -48 | -54 | -42 | >25 | |
| Lapwing | 23 | 702 | -43 | -51 | -38 | >25 | |
| Pied Flycatcher | 23 | 40 | -43 | -70 | -10 | >25 | |
| Redshank | 23 | 90 | -42 | -60 | -13 | >25 | |
| Yellow Wagtail | 23 | 167 | -42 | -52 | -31 | >25 | |
| Marsh Tit | 23 | 152 | -41 | -49 | -30 | >25 | |
| Peregrine | 23 | 54 | -39 | -58 | -16 | >25 | |
| Cuckoo | 23 | 705 | -38 | -44 | -32 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 23 | 372 | -38 | -47 | -27 | >25 | |
| Kestrel | 23 | 697 | -35 | -41 | -28 | >25 | |
| Dipper | 23 | 67 | -33 | -50 | -12 | >25 | |
| Tawny Owl | 23 | 98 | -30 | -43 | -16 | >25 | Nocturnal species |
| Corn Bunting | 23 | 146 | -30 | -42 | -16 | >25 | |
| Mistle Thrush | 23 | 1225 | -28 | -33 | -23 | >25 | |
| Common Sandpiper | 23 | 75 | -26 | -41 | -10 | >25 |
| 2. Table of declines >25% for BBS England 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Dove | 23 | 120 | -95 | -96 | -93 | >50 | |
| Willow Tit | 23 | 39 | -82 | -87 | -74 | >50 | |
| Cuckoo | 23 | 534 | -71 | -74 | -68 | >50 | |
| Spotted Flycatcher | 23 | 131 | -71 | -77 | -64 | >50 | |
| Grey Partridge | 23 | 199 | -62 | -67 | -55 | >50 | |
| Greenfinch | 23 | 1563 | -62 | -64 | -59 | >50 | |
| Little Owl | 23 | 90 | -61 | -69 | -51 | >50 | |
| Starling | 23 | 1495 | -61 | -63 | -58 | >50 | |
| Swift | 23 | 921 | -58 | -62 | -53 | >50 | |
| Tree Pipit | 23 | 75 | -56 | -71 | -34 | >50 | |
| Nightingale | 23 | 33 | -55 | -69 | -29 | >50 | |
| Dipper | 23 | 32 | -48 | -71 | -5 | >25 | |
| Whinchat | 23 | 33 | -47 | -67 | -32 | >25 | |
| Willow Warbler | 23 | 963 | -45 | -51 | -38 | >25 | |
| Grasshopper Warbler | 23 | 41 | -44 | -63 | -19 | >25 | |
| Redshank | 23 | 64 | -43 | -57 | -25 | >25 | |
| Yellow Wagtail | 23 | 163 | -41 | -50 | -32 | >25 | |
| Mistle Thrush | 23 | 961 | -41 | -45 | -37 | >25 | |
| Common Sandpiper | 23 | 32 | -40 | -58 | -15 | >25 | |
| House Martin | 23 | 767 | -40 | -48 | -30 | >25 | |
| Marsh Tit | 23 | 138 | -37 | -46 | -26 | >25 | |
| Yellowhammer | 23 | 1095 | -34 | -39 | -29 | >25 | |
| Sparrowhawk | 23 | 300 | -32 | -39 | -25 | >25 | |
| Curlew | 23 | 355 | -31 | -40 | -19 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 23 | 208 | -31 | -49 | -5 | >25 | |
| Corn Bunting | 23 | 139 | -31 | -43 | -15 | >25 | |
| Lapwing | 23 | 591 | -30 | -39 | -21 | >25 | |
| Feral Pigeon/Rock Dove | 23 | 600 | -29 | -38 | -19 | >25 | |
| Tawny Owl | 23 | 85 | -27 | -43 | -7 | >25 | Nocturnal species |
| Garden Warbler | 23 | 383 | -27 | -35 | -18 | >25 | |
| Sedge Warbler | 23 | 201 | -26 | -38 | -10 | >25 |
| 3. Table of declines >25% for BBS Scotland 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 23 | 109 | -67 | -75 | -56 | >50 | |
| Kestrel | 23 | 41 | -61 | -75 | -40 | >50 | |
| Curlew | 23 | 131 | -59 | -67 | -50 | >50 | |
| Lapwing | 23 | 89 | -56 | -66 | -46 | >50 | |
| Swift | 23 | 57 | -52 | -67 | -30 | >50 | |
| Hooded Crow | 23 | 55 | -44 | -56 | -25 | >25 | |
| Oystercatcher | 23 | 144 | -39 | -47 | -29 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 23 | 90 | -39 | -50 | -23 | >25 | |
| Rook | 23 | 125 | -34 | -46 | -12 | >25 | |
| Starling | 23 | 169 | -29 | -42 | -9 | >25 |
| 4. Table of declines >25% for BBS Wales 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swift | 23 | 68 | -72 | -81 | -60 | >50 | |
| Greenfinch | 23 | 114 | -71 | -79 | -61 | >50 | |
| Curlew | 23 | 35 | -69 | -78 | -58 | >50 | |
| Starling | 23 | 83 | -65 | -77 | -48 | >50 | |
| Yellowhammer | 23 | 32 | -64 | -75 | -54 | >50 | |
| Rook | 23 | 83 | -58 | -71 | -45 | >50 | |
| Goldcrest | 23 | 94 | -54 | -68 | -28 | >50 | |
| Wheatear | 23 | 60 | -48 | -58 | -33 | >25 | |
| Magpie | 23 | 180 | -43 | -58 | -23 | >25 | |
| Chaffinch | 23 | 221 | -38 | -45 | -28 | >25 | |
| Coal Tit | 23 | 84 | -32 | -50 | -3 | >25 | |
| Tree Pipit | 23 | 37 | -31 | -52 | -3 | >25 | |
| Green Woodpecker | 23 | 49 | -29 | -48 | -1 | >25 | |
| Whitethroat | 23 | 95 | -28 | -42 | -8 | >25 |
| 5. Table of declines >25% for BBS Northern Ireland 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 23 | 47 | -82 | -88 | -66 | >50 | |
| Skylark | 23 | 32 | -46 | -61 | -35 | >25 |
| 6. Table of declines >25% for BBS UK 2008-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Dove | 10 | 59 | -82 | -88 | -75 | >50 | |
| Greenfinch | 10 | 2025 | -67 | -69 | -66 | >50 | |
| Little Owl | 10 | 84 | -46 | -55 | -36 | >25 | |
| Swift | 10 | 1152 | -41 | -46 | -35 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 10 | 458 | -35 | -43 | -26 | >25 | |
| Grey Partridge | 10 | 209 | -34 | -42 | -24 | >25 | |
| Lapwing | 10 | 762 | -33 | -42 | -26 | >25 | |
| Barn Owl | 10 | 75 | -31 | -43 | -16 | >25 | |
| Swallow | 10 | 2611 | -31 | -33 | -28 | >25 | |
| Moorhen | 10 | 753 | -28 | -33 | -23 | >25 | |
| Crossbill | 10 | 79 | -28 | -43 | -5 | >25 | |
| Grasshopper Warbler | 10 | 108 | -27 | -43 | -11 | >25 | |
| Chaffinch | 10 | 3288 | -27 | -29 | -26 | >25 | |
| Kestrel | 10 | 782 | -26 | -31 | -21 | >25 |
| 7. Table of declines >25% for BBS England 2008-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Dove | 10 | 58 | -81 | -87 | -75 | >50 | |
| Greenfinch | 10 | 1723 | -66 | -67 | -64 | >50 | |
| Willow Tit | 10 | 30 | -54 | -69 | -27 | >50 | |
| Little Owl | 10 | 81 | -50 | -60 | -39 | >25 | |
| Swift | 10 | 995 | -40 | -46 | -33 | >25 | |
| Grey Partridge | 10 | 187 | -36 | -45 | -26 | >25 | |
| Spotted Flycatcher | 10 | 115 | -36 | -46 | -24 | >25 | |
| Swallow | 10 | 2004 | -33 | -35 | -29 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 10 | 270 | -33 | -44 | -18 | >25 | |
| Chaffinch | 10 | 2568 | -33 | -35 | -32 | >25 | |
| Lapwing | 10 | 653 | -30 | -38 | -23 | >25 | |
| Redshank | 10 | 71 | -30 | -45 | -13 | >25 | |
| Grasshopper Warbler | 10 | 52 | -30 | -47 | -3 | >25 | |
| Starling | 10 | 1606 | -29 | -32 | -24 | >25 | |
| Sparrowhawk | 10 | 330 | -28 | -34 | -21 | >25 | |
| Moorhen | 10 | 699 | -28 | -32 | -23 | >25 | |
| House Martin | 10 | 836 | -28 | -33 | -22 | >25 | |
| Collared Dove | 10 | 1480 | -27 | -30 | -24 | >25 | |
| Cuckoo | 10 | 470 | -27 | -33 | -21 | >25 | |
| Grey Heron | 10 | 653 | -26 | -31 | -19 | >25 | Non-breeders included |
| Barn Owl | 10 | 73 | -26 | -37 | -12 | >25 |
| 8. Table of declines >25% for BBS Scotland 2008-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 10 | 119 | -68 | -75 | -61 | >50 | |
| Kestrel | 10 | 39 | -44 | -60 | -22 | >25 | |
| Lapwing | 10 | 88 | -39 | -50 | -23 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 10 | 101 | -38 | -47 | -23 | >25 | |
| Swift | 10 | 66 | -30 | -50 | -2 | >25 | |
| Hooded Crow | 10 | 58 | -30 | -43 | -12 | >25 | |
| Stonechat | 10 | 48 | -29 | -43 | -13 | >25 | |
| Swallow | 10 | 262 | -28 | -35 | -19 | >25 |
| 10. Table of declines >25% for BBS Northern Ireland 2008-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 10 | 44 | -86 | -89 | -82 | >50 | |
| Lesser Redpoll | 10 | 35 | -53 | -63 | -36 | >50 | |
| Linnet | 10 | 43 | -52 | -64 | -36 | >50 | |
| Swallow | 10 | 100 | -33 | -39 | -26 | >25 | |
| Goldcrest | 10 | 57 | -30 | -47 | -4 | >25 |
| 11. Table of declines >25% for BBS UK 2013-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 5 | 1896 | -47 | -49 | -45 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 5 | 459 | -34 | -39 | -28 | >25 | |
| Crossbill | 5 | 65 | -33 | -47 | -17 | >25 | |
| Swallow | 5 | 2688 | -28 | -30 | -25 | >25 | |
| Swift | 5 | 1123 | -27 | -33 | -19 | >25 |
| 12. Table of declines >25% for BBS England 2013-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 5 | 1620 | -46 | -48 | -44 | >25 | |
| Turtle Dove | 5 | 32 | -42 | -58 | -23 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 5 | 244 | -40 | -47 | -33 | >25 | |
| Swallow | 5 | 2033 | -31 | -34 | -29 | >25 | |
| Lesser Redpoll | 5 | 76 | -31 | -48 | -13 | >25 | |
| Swift | 5 | 963 | -28 | -35 | -20 | >25 | |
| Nightingale | 5 | 35 | -28 | -44 | -10 | >25 | |
| Chaffinch | 5 | 2629 | -28 | -29 | -26 | >25 |
| 13. Table of declines >25% for BBS Scotland 2013-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 5 | 109 | -43 | -54 | -30 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 5 | 113 | -27 | -36 | -16 | >25 | |
| Feral Pigeon/Rock Dove | 5 | 103 | -26 | -39 | -11 | >25 | |
| Siskin | 5 | 122 | -26 | -36 | -15 | >25 |
| 14. Table of declines >25% for BBS Wales 2013-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 5 | 114 | -58 | -66 | -48 | >50 | |
| Swift | 5 | 71 | -48 | -58 | -34 | >25 | |
| Wheatear | 5 | 80 | -39 | -50 | -29 | >25 | |
| Rook | 5 | 94 | -39 | -50 | -27 | >25 | |
| Chaffinch | 5 | 280 | -30 | -35 | -25 | >25 | |
| Redstart | 5 | 105 | -28 | -35 | -19 | >25 | |
| Tree Pipit | 5 | 51 | -26 | -41 | -7 | >25 |
| 15. Table of declines >25% for BBS Northern Ireland 2013-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenfinch | 5 | 33 | -71 | -78 | -62 | >50 |
| 16. Table of population increases for BBS UK 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackdaw | 23 | 1971 | 61 | 49 | 76 | ||
| Canada Goose | 23 | 558 | 81 | 57 | 123 | ||
| Buzzard | 23 | 1218 | 98 | 84 | 117 | ||
| Chiffchaff | 23 | 1786 | 109 | 97 | 121 | ||
| Nuthatch | 23 | 593 | 110 | 91 | 132 | ||
| Tree Sparrow | 23 | 206 | 117 | 65 | 184 | ||
| Stonechat | 23 | 173 | 118 | 72 | 182 | ||
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 23 | 1240 | 131 | 117 | 148 | ||
| Goldfinch | 23 | 1928 | 155 | 140 | 170 | ||
| Greylag Goose | 23 | 277 | 169 | 46 | 412 | ||
| Blackcap | 23 | 1864 | 175 | 159 | 193 | ||
| Barn Owl | 23 | 54 | 251 | 158 | 426 | ||
| Gadwall | 23 | 48 | 253 | 91 | 526 | ||
| Cetti's Warbler | 23 | 33 | 417 | 113 | 3096 | ||
| Mandarin | 23 | 36 | 457 | 239 | 1172 | ||
| Red Kite | 23 | 186 | 1738 | 1077 | 3236 | ||
| Ring-necked Parakeet | 23 | 92 | 1776 | 882 | 9518 | ||
| Little Egret | 23 | 57 | 2399 | 870 | 117671 |
| 17. Table of population increases for BBS England 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tree Sparrow | 23 | 158 | 58 | 25 | 99 | ||
| Canada Goose | 23 | 510 | 65 | 41 | 95 | ||
| Jackdaw | 23 | 1587 | 79 | 65 | 92 | ||
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 23 | 1073 | 104 | 91 | 120 | ||
| Chiffchaff | 23 | 1495 | 107 | 97 | 119 | ||
| Stonechat | 23 | 74 | 117 | 58 | 218 | ||
| Nuthatch | 23 | 506 | 126 | 102 | 155 | ||
| Goldfinch | 23 | 1586 | 145 | 127 | 163 | ||
| Blackcap | 23 | 1577 | 146 | 133 | 160 | ||
| Gadwall | 23 | 45 | 221 | 96 | 540 | ||
| Buzzard | 23 | 853 | 226 | 179 | 275 | ||
| Barn Owl | 23 | 52 | 259 | 161 | 492 | ||
| Greylag Goose | 23 | 229 | 306 | 152 | 598 | ||
| Cetti's Warbler | 23 | 30 | 314 | 108 | 2559 | ||
| Ring-necked Parakeet | 23 | 92 | 1777 | 793 | 9550 | ||
| Little Egret | 23 | 53 | 2129 | 733 | 53460 | ||
| Red Kite | 23 | 143 | 21795 | 13385 | 74499 |
| 18. Table of population increases for BBS Scotland 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Sparrow | 23 | 118 | 51 | 18 | 87 | ||
| Cuckoo | 23 | 87 | 54 | 29 | 92 | ||
| Wren | 23 | 261 | 55 | 39 | 72 | ||
| Magpie | 23 | 64 | 62 | 26 | 121 | ||
| Long-tailed Tit | 23 | 36 | 63 | 10 | 128 | ||
| Raven | 23 | 58 | 63 | 11 | 126 | ||
| Lesser Redpoll | 23 | 57 | 67 | 20 | 123 | ||
| Reed Bunting | 23 | 72 | 70 | 40 | 117 | ||
| Tree Pipit | 23 | 40 | 80 | 45 | 128 | ||
| Stonechat | 23 | 42 | 99 | 42 | 220 | ||
| House Martin | 23 | 82 | 110 | 58 | 197 | ||
| Whitethroat | 23 | 98 | 130 | 48 | 214 | ||
| Goldfinch | 23 | 122 | 224 | 160 | 311 | ||
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 23 | 67 | 399 | 277 | 579 | ||
| Blackcap | 23 | 84 | 539 | 362 | 839 | ||
| Chiffchaff | 23 | 77 | 836 | 508 | 1435 |
| 19. Table of population increases for BBS Wales 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay | 23 | 84 | 52 | 20 | 97 | ||
| Chiffchaff | 23 | 164 | 54 | 31 | 76 | ||
| House Sparrow | 23 | 143 | 92 | 61 | 139 | ||
| Goldfinch | 23 | 151 | 104 | 73 | 156 | ||
| Blackcap | 23 | 147 | 143 | 97 | 204 | ||
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 23 | 97 | 189 | 119 | 293 | ||
| Stonechat | 23 | 45 | 191 | 108 | 322 |
| 20. Table of population increases for BBS Northern Ireland 1995-2018 |
| Species | Period (yrs) |
Plots (n) |
Change (%) |
Lower limit |
Upper limit |
Alert | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunnock | 23 | 75 | 64 | 20 | 130 | ||
| Song Thrush | 23 | 83 | 65 | 33 | 100 | ||
| Wren | 23 | 97 | 72 | 30 | 109 | ||
| Jackdaw | 23 | 81 | 72 | 39 | 131 | ||
| House Martin | 23 | 49 | 83 | 24 | 199 | ||
| Pheasant | 23 | 45 | 104 | 30 | 281 | ||
| Woodpigeon | 23 | 90 | 116 | 73 | 169 | ||
| Collared Dove | 23 | 38 | 116 | 46 | 331 | ||
| Great Tit | 23 | 79 | 135 | 89 | 188 | ||
| Hooded Crow | 23 | 87 | 179 | 111 | 254 | ||
| Goldfinch | 23 | 56 | 485 | 289 | 1088 | ||
| Buzzard | 23 | 36 | 1305 | 588 | 3591 | ||
| Blackcap | 23 | 46 | 1540 | 1081 | 3285 |
This report should be cited as: Woodward, I.D., Massimino, D., Hammond, M.J., Barber, L., Barimore, C., Harris, S.J., Leech, D.I., Noble, D.G., Walker, R.H., Baillie, S.R. & Robinson, R.A. (2020) BirdTrends 2020: trends in numbers, breeding success and survival for UK breeding birds. BTO Research Report 732. BTO, Thetford. www.bto.org/birdtrends
Share this page