The latest Birds of Conservation Concern Wales has recently been published in Milvus: the Journal of the Welsh Ornithological Society. Today’s blog by Dr Ian Johnstone, Senior Conservation Scientist, explains what’s changed since the last iteration.
The Birds of Conservation Concern lists come in three colours. The Red-list is for species of highest concern. Species are placed on the Amber-list if they are of medium conservation concern. Any species not qualifying for either of these lists is placed on the Green-list. The species which are assessed and the lists they qualify for are reviewed every five years to take account of changes in their fortunes.
Scores on the doors
This, the fourth version of the lists, highlights how Wales’s bird populations are continuing to change. There are now 60 species on the Red list (an increase of five), 91 on the Amber list (also an increase of five) and 69 on the Green-list (which remains the same length). The review has been carried out In partnership with the BTO, the Welsh Ornithological Society and Natural Resources Wales, who provided the funding.
The importance of revising the lists
There are over 400 species on Wales bird list, but many are scarce or rare visitors of the kind that gets twitchers excited. It is those that regularly occur in Wales, either as breeders, wintering visitors or birds following their migration routes that are reviewed. One purpose of reviewing the lists is to take account of such changes in which species occur regularly and how their populations are faring, and on this review we have assessed 220 species including 14 for the first time. Sadly two (Corncrake and Corn Bunting) have been removed because they have become extinct in Wales.
Corncrake on Oronsay RSPB reserve, Argyll (c) Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
How does the review work?
We collated the available data on each of these species to compare with a set of seven main criteria - the same as those used in the UK assessment. These were: global importance; historic decline; recent population decline; European importance; rarity; localisation and international importance. In addition, and to reflect the ‘nested’ position of Wales within the larger UK, we used an additional eighth criterion to reflect the importance of populations in Wales to those in the wider UK.
Species are placed on the Red-list if they meet one or more of the following rules: are globally important, have declined historically, show recent severe decline, and have failed to recover from historic decline. The Amber-list is if they are important in Europe, show recent moderate decline, show some recovery from historical decline, or occur in internationally important numbers, have a highly localised distribution or are important to the wider UK. Any species not qualifying under any of these rules is placed on the Green-list.
The shocking decline of the common place
In previous reviews we have charted how species that seem so common-place have ended up being placed on the Red-list because their populations declined. For example, the Starling and Curlew on account of their breeding declines. On this fourth review, they are joined on the Red-list by the previously Green-listed Rook, that has declined by over half since 1995. The reasons for this decline are currently unclear but may be linked in some way to changes in their farmland habitat.
Rook in Wiltshire (c) Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Two other very familiar garden birds are the Greenfinch, which has moved from Amber to Red and the Chaffinch (Green to Amber). These increases in concern are best explained by the disease Trichomoniasis which can be contracted when birds gather at feeders. Good hygiene is imperative at feeders and water bowls and more information can be found on our partner's website, Garden Wildlife Health.
Good hygiene on feeders and water bowls is incredibly important, especially for Greenfinch (c) Nigel Blake (rspb-images.com)
Some waterbirds looking good
Some birds are now of lower conservation concern. Alone among the breeding Waders of Wales, the Avocet has moved to the Green-list, benefiting from wetland restoration and perhaps milder winters. Two other birds have been assessed for the first time because they now occur regularly: the Great White Egret and Cattle Egret. They have also likely benefited from wetland conservation and climate change. Although they have initially joined the Amber-list because they are still rare, expected continued increase will see them moved to the Green-list in the future.
Avocet feeding in Norfolk (c) Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Whilst our review undoubtedly has good news for some species, the overall message remains one of rising levels of conservation concern. That such a familiar species as the farmland-living Rook has been moved from Green to Red must make us ask serious question about how we are treating our green and pleasant our land and the nature that inhabits it.
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