E-mail to a friendE-newsletterContact us
HomeAbout usAdviceBirdsJoinOur workReservesSupport usShopThings to do
  • Overview
  • Awards & recognition
  • Contact us
  • Facts and figures
  • History
  • How we are run
  • Inspiring work
  • Job vacancies
  • Looking to the future
  • Media centre
  • Offices
  • The RSPB view
  • What we do
  • Overview
  • Farming
  • Gardening
  • Green living
  • Helping birds
  • Land management
  • Law
  • Watching birds
  • Overview
  • Aren't birds brilliant!
  • Birds by name
  • Birds by family
  • Bird identifier
  • Features
  • Reserves
  • Webcams
  • Wildlife garden guide
  • Overview
  • Campaigns
  • Corporate membership
  • Credit card
  • Donations
  • Fundraising
  • Gift Aid
  • Shop
  • Green energy
  • Holidays in the UK
  • Join the RSPB
  • Leave a legacy
  • Recycle your mobile phone
  • Share giving
  • Vehicle breakdown cover
  • Overview
  • Join now
  • Why join?
  • Membership as a gift
  • Membership benefits
  • Renewals
  • Other ways to support us
  • Overview
  • Great days out
  • By habitat
  • By name
  • By location
  • Recent sightings
  • Shops on reserves
  • Overview
  • Around the UK
  • Conservation
  • Document library
  • Farming
  • International
  • Job vacancies
  • News
  • Media centre
  • Policy
  • Reserves
  • Science
  • Teaching
  • Shop homepage
  • Binoculars
  • Bird care accessories
  • Bird feeders
  • Bird food
  • Bird tables and baths
  • Books, DVDs and CDs
  • Garden
  • Homeware
  • Prints and canvases
  • Toys
  • Virtual gifts
  • Wildlife care
  • Shops on reserves
  • Overview
  • Near you
  • Events
  • E-newsletter
  • Fundraising
  • Local groups
  • Reserves
  • Surveys
  • Volunteering
  • Webcams
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Advice

Bird decline

  • Birds in decline
  • National trends
  • Where have all the birds gone in summer?
  • Where have all the birds gone in autumn?
  • Where have all the birds gone in winter?
  • Starlings

Print this page

Home > Advice > Helping birds > Bird decline

Bird decline

Adult starling on bird feeder
Lost your local starlings? Find out possible reasons why in these pages

The declines in some songbird populations are a worrying phenomenon. Some of these declines have taken place on a national scale over several decades, but because they happen slowly and gradually, may not be obvious.

The national monitoring schemes of British breeding birds are designed to detect any changes in bird numbers, long-term or year to year. Because the breeding success and the winter survival of birds varies from one year to the next, several years of data is needed before it is possible to separate any long term decline from the year to year fluctuations.

In any one locality it can be possible to detect changes if bird numbers are compared from one year to the next, or better still, a few years apart. These changes may be linked to national declines, but many of them simply reflect local changes in habitat or the annual cycles of bird behaviour. 

'In any one locality it can be possible to detect changes if bird numbers are compared from one year to the next, or better still, a few years apart'

A wide variety of reasons can cause real or apparent local reductions in bird numbers any time of the year. These include: clearance of an area of scrub/woodland etc for a housing or road development, grubbing up of hedgerows, and change in the crops planted in surrounding farmland. 

In towns, even changes in air pollution levels, prevailing gardening fashions and introduction of cats can have a noticeable local impact under some circumstances. 

These local changes in bird numbers tend to show up rather faster than any underlying national trends, especially if caused by the destruction of the habitat a particular species depends on in the area. 

For instance, cutting down the only woodland could cause a sudden disappearance of woodpeckers from the area. Seasonal changes in birds’ behaviour can seem equally sudden and dramatic.

People understandably get worried when it seems that birds have gradually or suddenly disappeared from their area. In these pages we describe and explain many of the real and apparent reasons why birds ‘disappear’.

Last modified: 08 August 2005

About the RSPB

The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment. We rely upon memberships and donations to fund our work. Nature is amazing - help us keep it that way. More...

Contact us

Visit our Contact us section for telephone numbers, office addresses and more.

Latest news

Eggs-actly what we hoped for!

A pair of rare hen harriers is incubating six eggs at a nest site in Northumberland’s North Tynedale, the RSPB and Forestry Commission announced today (7 May 2008).

National Ethical Investment Week

As a supporter of green and ethical investment, the RSPB is supporting National Ethical Investment Week 2008.

On a wing and a prayer

A coalition of conservation, countryside and welfare groups has called for increased efforts to tackle the illegal killing of the UK’s birds of prey.

More news...

Add your voice for nature

As a charity, we rely on the support of members to continue our work protecting birds and wildlife.

Join now from only £2.84/month.

Free e-newsletter

Over 200,000 people enjoy our monthly e-mail newsletter.

Why not sign up?

Contact us
© 2008 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Charity registered in England and Wales no 207076, in Scotland no SC037654
Privacy policy
Last published: 07/06/2007 17:26:37
Show/hide picture credits
Adult starling on bird feeder - Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com, Ref: 2003_4847_002)
Flower borders in front of RSPB The Lodge reserve, Bedfordshire - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com, Ref: 1999_0503_009 )
Family Birdwatching through living room window - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Nestbox on tree, RSPB Wood of Cree reserve - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com, Ref: D_2006_11968_0009 )