The uplifting sight of wild birds on the wing and birdsong is becoming rarer – as the UK has lost nearly one in nine of its wild birds since 1970, according to official statistics.
The latest Department for the Environment figures show British wild bird species have fallen by 12 per cent between 1970 and 2021.
Some bird species have declined by as much as 90 per cent.
Birds standing at just one tenth of their numbers in 1970 include: turtle dove, capercaillie, lesser whitethroat, willow tit, grey partridge, tree sparrow and spotted flycatcher.
Not all birds have suffered declines, the report says – a number of species have increased ‘several-fold’, the report said, citing species including: Cetti’s warbler, blackcap, buzzard, great spotted woodpecker, red kite and collared dove.
Birds standing at just one tenth of their numbers in 1970 include: turtle dove (pictured), capercaillie, lesser whitethroat, willow tit, grey partridge, tree sparrow and spotted flycatcher
Some 130 wild bird species with more than 500 breeding pairs are tracked by the British Trust for Ornithology, the Royal Society for the Protection if Birds and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Driving the decline are sharp falls in numbers of farmland birds and woodland birds.
While the overall fall was 12 per cent below 1970, the report said farmland birds were 44 per cent lower, woodland birds were 34 per cent lower, water and wetland birds were 11 per cent lower and upland birds were eight per cent lower.
The figures do not take into account numbers of seabirds, as the Covid restrictions in place during lockdown meant the figures have not been updated since 2019.
But the report says that the 2019 figure shows seabirds were 24 per cent lower than in 1986.
The report said the decline in bird numbers could be seen as an indication that nature is suffering.
‘Bird populations have long been considered to provide a good indication of the broad state of wildlife in the UK.
‘This is because they occupy a wide range of habitats and respond to environmental pressures that also operate on other groups of wildlife.’
The latest Department for the Environment figures show British wild bird species have fallen by 12 per cent between 1970 and 2021. Pictured: a capercaillie
Over the short-term period between 2015 and 2020, 24 per cent of species increased, 28 per cent showed little change and 48 per cent declined.
Among bird species commonly sighted in gardens, the house sparrow was down 70 per cent on 1970 numbers.
Skylark populations have declined by more than three quarters since the 1970s.
The main cause of the lark’s decline is considered to be the widespread switch from spring to autumn-sown cereals, as autumn cereals are denser and larks are less able to nest there, according to the RSPB,
Dr Richard Gregory, the RSPB’s head of science said: ‘Everyone should be concerned that UK bird populations are continuing to decline as this is a crucial indicator of the condition of our environment and health of our natural world.
‘We cannot keep publishing report after report charting the decline of the UK’s wildlife without UK governments delivering on their commitments to take urgent action to restore nature and halt wildlife decline.
‘We are in a nature and climate emergency, and we need urgent action to keep common species common and save those already on the brink of being lost. This is not something on the distant horizon, but on our doorsteps.
Not all birds have suffered declines, the report says – a number of species have increased ‘several-fold’, including blue tits (pictured)
‘The recovery of our bird populations is possible and achievable, we have seen that just this week with positive news about the continuing recovery of our Bittern populations from just 11 booming males in 1997 to 228 last year.
‘But this success is based on protecting and restoring the wild spaces that these birds to recover.
‘The UK is among the most nature-depleted countries in the world, bottom of the table compared to the rest of the G7, but we can change this if we begin to seriously address the drivers of wildlife decline in the UK.’
A Defra spokesperson said: ‘Under the Environmental Improvement Plan, we set out clear steps to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and improve the status of wild birds and other species which play an important role in our ecosystems.
‘We are already taking robust action to reduce key pressures on wild birds and improve their habitats. For example, our targeted species recovery efforts have helped to improve the conservation status of 96 priority species, including the curlew and bittern.’
WHAT ARE THE UK’S MOST ENDANGERED PLANTS?
The Ghost Orchid was last seen in 2009 in a Herefordshire wood
1. Ghost Orchid
Status: Critically Endangered
Best time to see: Unknown
Habitat: Beech wood
Where? Herefordshire
This orchid was thought extinct until it was spotted in Herefordshire in 2009. It usually grows underground in deep leaf litter only rarely popping its white flower above the surface to attract pollinators.
The Red Helleborine grows in southern England and is best seen in May, June and July
2. Red Helleborine
Status: Critically Endangered
Best time to see: May, June and July
Habitat: Dark woodland
Where? Southern England
This orchid grows a stem up to 60cm in height that can carry up to 17 flowers that are a deep shade of pink. Plantlife UK said it may have become rare due to a decline in the population of its pollinators and the right habitat for them.
Spreading Bellflowers are only found in 37 places in the UK
3. Spreading Bellflower
Status: Endangered
Best time to see: July to November
Habitat: Woodland
Where? Welsh borders and west Midlands
The Spreading Bellflower is only found in 37 10-km square areas in the UK, but in very small numbers. It is threatened by changes in woodland management, such as the end of coppicing and other disturbances, and an increased use of herbicides on roadsides and railway banks.
The Crested Cow-wheat grows in East Anglia and other parts of the UK
4. Crested Cow-wheat
Status: Endangered
Best time to see: July and August
Habitat: Rocky Hillside meadows and roadsides
Where? East Anglia and other areas
The plant grows to 15 to 40cm high and produces pink flowers with yellow lips. It grows in meadows, competing with scores of other plants to attract insects.
5. Cotswold Pennycress
Status: Vulnerable and Near-Threatened
Best time to see: April and May
Habitat: Farmland
Where? Cotswolds
It sprouts mainly in the Cotswolds, and can be seen growing out of hedges, walls and banks.
Ploughing, the levelling of rough land, increased use of fertilisers and herbicides and neglecting marginal land have all led to the plants gradual demise. It is often choked by thicker smothering plants.
The Lady Orchid, which has stunning pink flowers, grows in Kent and Oxfordshire
6. Lady Orchid
Status: Critical
Best time to see: April, May, June
Habitat: Edges of woodland and grassland
Where? Kent and Oxfordshire
This purple-coloured orchid produces large stems of 200 flowers that grow up to 80cm in height. It can be seen growing on the edges of woodland, and sometimes in open grassland.
This meadow plant has been in decline since less land was used for grazing meaning it was smothered by others
7. Meadow Clary
Status: Vulnerable/Near Threatened
Best time to see: Spring and Summer
Habitat: Grassland
Where? Oxfordshire, Chilterns and north and south Downs
This plant declined before 1950 when less land was used for grazing and it was smothered by other coarser plants. It is now found in just 21 areas in the south of England, where it was probably re-introduced through ‘wild flower seed’ mixtures.
The sun loving plant grows in open grassland, and along south-facing hedge banks and the southern edges of woodland.
The One-flowered Wintergreen grows in damp, shaded pine forests
8. One-flowered Wintergreen
Status: Vulnerable/ Near Threatened
Best time to see: May, June and July
Habitat: Pine forests
Where? North-east Scotland
This single-flowered plant grows in damp, shaded areas of pine forests. It is clearly visible against the dark soil and rotting pine leaves. The white flower faces downwards from the end of a tall stem, looking a bit like an umbrella
The Twinflower is a relic from the ice age
9. Twinflower
Status: Unknown
Best time to see: Spring and Summer
Habitat: Woodland
Where? Scotland
An arctic-alpine plant that is a relic of the ice age, It has two pink bell-like flowers on a slender stem and a thicker stem below that creeps along the ground forming small mats. The Twinflower is considered one of our smallest and most delicate native flowers.
It now grows in just 50 unrelated sites following changes in woodland management.
The white-flower orchid has been lost from 75 per cent of the countryside
10. Lesser Butterfly-orchid
Status: Vulnerable/Near Threatened
Best time to see: June & July
Habitat: Woodland, grassland, heathland and wetland
Where? England, Cardiganshire in Wales, and parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland
This white-flower orchid has been lost from 75 per cent of the English countryside since records began. Growing a 30cm-high stem, the plant is now scattered across open areas and those with acidic soil. The best chance of seeing it is in the Cae Blaen Dyffryn Nature Reserve, Wales, which hosts a population that can exceed 3,000 in good years.
The orchids decline may be linked to a symbiotic fungus it depends on to grow, according to Plantlife UK, which is very sensitive to fertilisers and fungicides. Their use on open grassland may have played a part in the plants march towards extinction.
The plant prefers Beech and Hazel woods
11. Yellow Birds-nest
Status: Unknown
Best time to see: All year
Habitat: Beech and Hazel woodland
Where? UK-wide
The whole plant is a yellow-brown colour, and tends to grow in leaf litter in shaded woodland. However, it began to decline after 1930, possibly due to changes in woodland management, overgrazing and habitat fragmentation.
Source: Plantlife UK
