Mixed fortunes for Europe’s breeding birds
Collaborative effort between 48 countries reveals more winners than losers.
The first survey of Europe’s breeding bird populations for 23 years presents a rosier picture than you might have expected.
The second European Breeding Bird Atlas (EBBA) shows that 35 per cent of all native bird species have increased their breeding ranges in the last 30 years. Twenty-five per cent have seen their ranges contract, while no change was detected among the remaining 40 per cent.
“It’s not as discouraging as it could have been,” says David Noble, principal ecologist with the BTO and a member of the EBBA steering committee. “But there’s devil in the detail.”
The survey records the presence or absence of 596 species in a total of 5,110 50km grid squares (spanning 11 million square kilometres and 48 countries).
Winners include cattle egret, citrine wagtail and Mediterranean gull, while ruff, great bustard, European roller and ortolan bunting are among those that have lost territory. On the whole, forest species are faring better than farmland ones. Grassland, tundra and moorland species have also tended to lose ground.
The atlas documents a clear northward shift in populations, in line with rising temperatures. “We knew this was happening,” says Noble. “But now we know the extent to which it is happening.” On average, species have been spreading north at a rate of about 1km per year.
Meanwhile, 39 of the 57 introduced species have only started breeding in Europe in the last 30 years.
Intriguingly, some species are bucking these trends. Waxwings, for example, are spreading southwards rather than northwards. And nightingales continue to decline despite the warmer temperatures that should facilitate their expansion.
It is hoped that the atlas can help solve such mysteries. “This incredible new book, and the database that underpins it, will serve to enable further research and support conservation of birds and other biodiversity across Europe for decades to come,” said the RSPB’s Mark Eaton, chair of the European Bird Census Council, in a statement.
Noble agrees. “Naturalists like maps and we have lots of maps to scrutinise here,” he says. “These will now inspire all sorts of research on different species.” Stuart Blackman
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European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: bit.ly/38G2bna