Announced today, the latest report into our birds conservation status, and it's not good reading, no surprise to birdwatchers. The four page document can be downloaded at the link below, it's basically a list of birds in each category.
Many will not be a surprise, even though from where I'm sitting I can see around a dozen Tree Sparrows in my back garden and Greenfinches in the front, and yet both are red listed and see more of them here than in the countryside.
More birds than ever before were placed on the Red list of greatest conservation concern in the latest report, published in 2021. At 70 species long, the Red list is nearly double the length of the one in the first report in 1996, showing that even more of our birds are in trouble.
The Swift, House Martin and Greenfinch all moved onto the Red list because of population declines, joining other well known birds such as Puffins and Cuckoos.
More birds that migrate to Africa for the winter seem to be faring less well, while there has been no improvement in the status of farmland or upland birds; indeed, more such species have been Red listed. Waterbirds that spend the winter in the UK have declined in numbers, resulting in the Goldeneye, Smew, Bewick’s Swan and Dunlin all moving to the Red list.
But it’s not all bad news: dedicated conservation action has helped the White-tailed Eagle move from Red to Amber.
Juvenile Tree Sparrows and parent
Male Greenfinch
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