UK’s rarest farmland bird fights back with the help of farmers
15 February 2010
New survey results show the cirl bunting – one of Britain’s most threatened songbirds - is continuing its comeback from the brink of extinction.
According to the latest figures published this week, the cirl bunting population has increased by 25 per cent since 2003, reaching 862 breeding pairs in 2009. Despite this increase, the species remains confined to a small area of Devon and Cornwall.
Although their range once covered large parts of southern England and it could be heard singing from the trees of Wimbledon Common, cirl bunting populations declined massively in the second half of the 20th Century with just 118 pairs remaining in 1989.
The rise in numbers follows a joint campaign by the RSPB and Natural England to help local farmers manage their land in ways that provide year-round food supplies and breeding habitat for these distinctive birds.
Under the Cirl Bunting Species Recovery Programme, led by the RSPB and co-funded by Natural England, advisers visit farmers to help them choose the best agri-environment scheme options. These include grasslands, which provide invertebrates for summer food, and weedy overwinter stubble, which provide essential seed food during the colder months.
Around 18 months ago the RSPB opened the Labrador Bay reserve in Devon to create a protected haven for cirl buntings – the first time the charity has bought a piece of land to save a single bird species.
“This is fantastic news, we are all very excited that these fascinating birds are starting to make a comeback,” said Mark Avery, RSPB director of conservation. “Wildlife lovers come from across the UK to our reserve at Labrador Bay to catch a glimpse of the elusive cirl bunting. It has also become something of a local celebrity – even being incorporated into the emblem of a local village school.
“We have learnt a lot in recent years about cirl buntings and how to protect their habitat, and now that is paying off. But we can’t take all the credit. The cirl bunting is a farmland bird and it’s down to the work farmers on the Devon coast have put in on their land that this comeback has been possible.
“Farmland birds as a group have declined by 50 per cent in the past 40 years. If we can halt the decline in a dangerously threatened species like this one then there is hope for all the endangered birds in our countryside.”
Tom Tew, Chief Scientist of Natural England, said: “The recovery of the cirl bunting shows what can be achieved when farmers and conservationists work together to target specific land management measures in the right place.
“Biodiversity loss need not be the inevitable consequence of 21st century life and we are delighted that this rare and beautiful bird is making a comeback having come so close to being lost as a breeding bird in this country.”
-Ends-
Notes to editors:
Natural England administers agri-environment schemes which have been central to the revival of the cirl bunting, paying farmers around £400 million a year. Environmental Stewardship comprises Entry Level Stewardship (ELS), Organic ELS, Uplands ELS and Higher Level Stewardship. All contain a number of measures designed to help farmland bird populations recover from the declines that occurred during post-war intensification. These options include providing nesting and breeding habitat and food throughout the year.
For more information on Environmental Stewardship (ES), visit the Natural England website.
The Cirl Bunting Species Recovery Project forms part of Action for Birds in England (AfBiE), a conservation partnership between Natural England and the RSPB. This project has been promoting cirl bunting conservation since 1994 and primarily involves RSPB and Natural England staff visiting farmers to advise on the options that are best suited to encouraging cirl buntings on their farm.
Since 2003, a partnership project between the RSPB, Natural England, the National Trust and Paignton Zoo (with veterinary support from the Zoological Society of London) has been seeking to establish a new population in Cornwall by translocating birds from Devon.
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
For further information contact:
Graham Tibbetts in the National Press Office on 0845 603 9953, graham.tibbetts@naturalengland.org.uk or out of hours 07810 636344.
