Majority of Scotland’s breeding bird species show population increase - NatureScot

The latest official statistic report of 66 Scottish terrestrial breeding bird species shows increases for 36 of them between 1994 and 2023, with 23 species indicator results showing decline and seven remaining stable. Woodland birds have seen the largest indicator increase of over 50%. Chiffchaff numbers have increased 1428% - most probably driven by increasing temperatures – as well as great spotted woodpeckers by 699% and blackcap by 593%.

Chaffinches are one of our commonest birds, and a regular species in gardens and woodland, but they have recently declined by 13% in part due to the suspected presence of the bird parasite Trichomonas gallinae, which is linked to unhygienic bird feeding areas. Climate change, evidenced by milder winters, is also contributing to these declines. A decline of 17% in Capercaillie has been linked to death from collisions with fences and potentially a negative effect of rising temperatures from climate change.

However, upland birds have shown the largest declines (-20%). Long-term changes in upland bird populations have been contributed to by several factors, including climate change, forest expansion, and changes in site-based management practices such as grazing and predator control. Curlew breeding numbers have declined over 60%, and changes to land management, climate and food availability are all having an impact. Targeted action is taking place in Scotland to help restore suitable breeding habitats and research is underway to help improve our understanding of the declines.

Since 1994, there has been an increase of 14% for urban bird species. This is largely due to an increase until the mid-2000s, which was followed by a slow decline. The greatest long-term increases have been for jackdaw (+246%), magpie (+225%), goldfinch (+142%), woodpigeon (+134%) and great tit (+132%). There have been some substantial long-term decreases in other urban bird populations, however, including declines of more than 50% for greenfinch, swift and collared dove, and 25-50% declines for blackbird and starling. Possible drivers of these trends include changes in bird communities due to increased garden bird feeding, loss of green space and the impacts of diseases such as the aforementioned Trichomonas gallinae.