Overview

• Government figures show the species index declined between 2019 and 2024 by 4% across the UK and 7% in England.
• Farmland bird populations have fallen about 62% since the 1970s and 11% in the past five years, with turtle doves, grey partridges, tree sparrows and starlings among the worst affected.
• Seabird numbers dropped around 15% in five years and 37% since the 1980s, with conservationists citing avian influenza on top of mounting pressures.
• Across all native wild breeding birds, populations are down 18% in the UK and 19% in England since 1970, underscoring decades of decline.
• RSPB urges scaled, well-funded schemes to enable farmers to manage 10% of land for nature, while Defra points to record investment and the need for widespread uptake of sustainable practices.