Report reveals rapid decline of UK migratory birds

A new report from the State of the UK’s Birds shows the scale of the decline for UK migratory birds wintering in Africa. 

The latest in the annual series of the report includes a migratory birds section, revealing the trends for 29 migrant species nesting in the UK in summer and wintering in the Mediterranean or Africa. 

Significant declines were revealed for a number of species wintering in Africa’s humid zone, including the whinchat, nightingale, tree pipit, and spotted flycatcher. One of the most dramatic declines is that of the turtle dove, which has declined by 88 per cent since 1995. Over the same period of time, numbers of wood warbler have dropped by 66 per cent, pied flycatcher by 53 per cent, spotted flycatcher by 49 per cent, cuckoo by 49 per cent, nightingale by 43 per cent, and yellow wagtail by 43 per cent. 

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