Statistical News Release: INDEX OF ABUNDANCE FOR SCOTTISH TERRESTRIAL BREEDING BIRDS, 1994 TO 2015

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has today released the latest figures tracking the abundance of Scotland’s terrestrial breeding birds.

Over the long term (1994-2015), the combined abundance for 66 species of terrestrial breeding birds increased to a maximum in 2007, with year-to-year change becoming more variable since then. In 2015, it stood at 18% above the baseline, and 4% below the 2007 figure (using the smoothed indices – see note 2).

Using the unsmoothed indices, over the short term (2014-2015), the farmland bird index increased by 7%. Changes in the upland, woodland and combined all-species indices were not significantly different from zero.

Analysis of habitat specific trends did show some change over the long term: woodland birds increased by 68%; farmland birds showed a steady increase up to the late-2000s, subsequently fluctuating between 13% and 23% above the 1994 value. The 2015 farmland bird index figure was 22% higher than in 1994; upland birds decreased significantly by 14% over the same period. There are numerous explanations for the long-term trends observed. These differ between species and include the conditions experienced in wintering areas (e.g., chiffchaff), the ability of some birds to exploit different food sources (e.g., goldfinch) or land use changes (e.g., curlew).

ENDS

For media enquiries only

Vicki Mowat, press & public relations officer, Scottish Natural Heritage 0131 316 2659 or email vicki.mowat@snh.gov.uk (Tue – Fri) or the main Inverness press office on 01463 725 020 or 021.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The full statistical publication can be accessed at:

http://www.snh.gov.uk/publications-data-and-research/official-statistics/official-stats/terrestrial-breeding-birds

Smoothed indices are a statistical way of removing the year to year fluctuations that naturally appear, for example because of weather conditions or sampling variations, to allow the underlying trend to be more easily seen.

The data used in the report primarily come from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) (http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/bbs )

Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.