The Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) is an independent body established in 1972 to help monitor numbers, trends and distribution in the UK’s rare breeding birds. Every year, the team report back on the latest breeding data. In today’s blog, RSPB Conservation Scientist Andrew Stanbury and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel Secretary Mark Eaton explain the latest results.
Funded by the RSPB & JNCC with additional contribution from BTO, the RBBP report collates breeding data on all species with fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs in the UK. Its 47th annual report was published today in the journal British Birds. A summary of the report can be read here.
This report documents the status of the 101 species and subspecies of rare or scarce native birds that bred, or showed signs of breeding, in the UK in 2020. Although reporting for many species was significantly impacted by the lockdown restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the year proved an interesting one for our rarest birds.
In summary
Unfortunately, it appears the Montagu’s harrier failed to breed in 2020 for the first time since 1975. Although males and females were present in the breeding season, there was no confirmed breeding attempts reported. Montagu’s Harrier was moved to the Red list in last year’s Birds of Conservation Concern owing to the recent population decline.
Montagu's harrier chicks (c) Mark Thomas
White-tailed eagles continue to do well, reaching a new population high in 2020. This species was moved from the Red to Amber list in last year’s Birds of Conservation Concern, in recognition of the success of the reintroduction to Scotland that began nearly 50 years ago.
2020 was also a record-breaking year for other species that have benefitted from intensive conservation interventions, such as Eurasian bittern, common crane, roseate tern, as well as recent colonists from continental Europe, including spoonbill, great white egret and cattle egret. Sadly, roseate terns were severely impacted by highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2022. Future reports will report on the scale of the decline.
Wryneck last bred in the UK in 2002, so the record of a pair prospecting in Wales in 2020 is noteworthy, although ultimately it appears they moved on. It would be fantastic to see them return to the UK as a breeder one day.
2020 was a good year for rare crakes with calling female baillon’s and little crakes both reported, although there were no confirmed breeding attempts.
Previous records
Why not visit the RBBP webpage to learn more about the Panel’s work. Reports from previous years, going back to the first report in 1973, can be found here.
The data collated by the RBBP represents a vital part of our national bird monitoring schemes, as many of the species covered are not adequately covered by other surveys. The totals published in the annual reports are widely used by conservation organisations and feed in to the production of official government biodiversity indicators as well as updating species status assessments; for example, in the latest Birds of Conservation Concern published in December 2021, RBBP data was used to assess trends of 50 breeding species, a fifth of all birds, and some of the changes to the Red, Amber and Green list were as a direct consequence of these data.
Much of the data on which the RBBP depends originates from birdwatchers and we thank all those that submit their records and encourage others to do the same. Thanks must also go to the county bird recorders and other data providers, past and present, who collate and submit the data to the RBBP.
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