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Posted: 20th May 2024

Breeding Bird Survey marks 30 years of citizen science
Red kites have proven to be a conservation success.
The latest report reveals severe declines in swifts and curlews.

The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has published its latest report on the UK’s bird populations, as it marks 30 years of the citizen science project.

The survey, which was launched in 1994, is believed to be one of the UK’s longest-running citizen science initiatives, and produces population trends for 119 species.

The BBS is run as a partnership between the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Since it launched, citizen scientists have supplied nearly 8 million records on bird populations.

Over 3,000 volunteers take part each summer, including at least 100 contributors who have been providing reports through the survey’s full 30-year history.

Approximately 7,000 individual sites have been assessed during this time. The survey has grown from 1,500 sites surveyed in its first year, to around 4,000 each year for the past seven years.

The BBS’ latest report reveals the major changes in bird populations across the UK between 1995 and 2022.

Turtle doves saw the most significant decline during this time frame, with a 97 per cent loss. This was followed by the willow tit, at 90 per cent, and the wood warbler, at 81 per cent.

However it was better news for the little egret, which saw a significant increase of 2,232 per cent between 1995 and 2022.

Little egrets, which BTO describes as a ‘relatively recent colonist’, form part of an interesting trend for non-native bird species. A fifth of the species which saw population increases were non-native birds, including the ring-necked parakeet (2,154 per cent) and the Egyptian goose (1,835 per cent).

BTO also consider the red kite to be a major conservation success story, with the bird of prey seeing a 2,232 per cent increase since BBS records began.

The collation of citizen scientist data will enable scientists to investigate drivers of change for each species, as well as setting bird conservation priorities in the UK.

James Heywood, BBS national organiser, said: “The sheer volume of information that allows us to see the high and lows of our breeding birds is all volunteer gathered.

“Without the dedication of the UK’s BBS surveyors, we would not be able to see the changing fortunes of our bird populations, and with it look to identify causes and potential solutions.”

Image © Shutterstock



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