Now on the red list
Lapwings are in trouble…
Having seen flocks of 100+ lapwing feeding on the salt marshes at RSPB Pagham Harbour this morning it’s hard to believe that this beautiful bird Is now a red listed bird on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern and listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global).
Across the UK, six out of every ten lapwing have vanished since 1967.
The Red List is a list of birds in the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man that are the most threatened and have experienced dramatic population declines. It includes some of our rarest birds, like hen harriers but also birds like house sparrows and starlings, which have suffered huge declines.
Why a bird is placed on the red list
They are threatened with global extinction
They have undergone a severe historical population decline in UK since 1800
Breeding numbers in the UK have fallen by at least half in the last 25 years, or longer
Their breeding range in the UK has had a severe contraction of at least 50% in the last 25 years or longer
A ground nesting bird, lapwing thrive on mixed farmland and managed wet grassland and prefer wide open landscapes during the breeding season to avoid predators.
They used to thrive over much of lowland Britain but loss of habitat through drainage of grasslands, loss of mixed farmland and change of land use have led to breeding productivity dropping below a sustainable level.
Change of land use has also led to an increase in predators such as foxes and crows further contributing to the loss of eggs and chicks.
Declines in the west of the UK are even leading to local extinctions.
It’s not just lapwings being impacted by these changes, most of the ground nesting birds such as curlews and skylarks are in serious decline.
But there is hope
Many organisations, like the Wildlife Trust, The RSPB and WWT are working hard to protect and restore the wetland habitats that wading birds like that the lapwing need to recover. They are also working with farmers and landowners to create wet features in fields, the ideal grasslands for ground nesting birds like the lapwing.
There is much work still to be done if we are to see this this much loved British bird recover but all the time there are organisations like this working so hard on their behalf, there is hope.
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