While the decline is levelling off, some of the continents most-recognisable birds are among the worst affected, with house sparrow populations declining by half. Â
Europe has lost almost a fifth of its birds since 1980 as habitat destruction has wiped out the animals homes.Â
The shocking finding was made in a study led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), who analysed population estimates for 378 species across the continent. Some of Europes most common birds were the worst hit, with the house sparrow losing 247 million individuals alone.Â
Dr Fiona Burns, the studys lead author, says, Our study is a wake-up call to the very real threat of extinctions and of a Silent Spring, and we are fully supportive of ensuring a strong framework which puts conservation front and centre of any global plans.Â
We need transformative action across society to tackle the nature and climate crises together. That means increasing the scale and ambition of nature-friendly farming, species protection, sustainable forestry and fisheries, and rapidly expanding the protected area network.Â
The study, led by British and Czech researchers, was published in Ecology and Evolution.
Birds that live along shorelines have seen some of the sharpest population declines.  © Martin Fowler/Shutterstock
It has long been recognised that Europes birds have been under threat. As far back as the 1970s, the European Unions Birds Directive compelled member states to protect areas for the most vulnerable species, and limited hunting of the animals.Â
Though some species, such as the red kite, have been set on the path to recovery over the past few decades, others continue to decline. The 2021 European Red List of Birds found that 71 species are threatened with extinction, while 34 others are Near Threatened.Â
Species that live along the shore and on agricultural land are among the worst affected. This finding was shared with the RSPB study, which found that these groups had seen the sharpest population declines, alongside forest-dwelling birds.Â
Most of the population declines occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, when Europe lost around 1% of its birds each year. Around the year 2000 the overall decline flattened out but remains on a slight downward trend. Overall, this has resulted in a fifth of the continents birds being wiped out.Â
The cause of these declines has been attributed to the destruction of the birds habitats by humanity. More intensive farming and the loss of breeding grounds have left many species struggling, leading to a decline of around 623 million animals.Â
Some species are being hit much harder than others, with just eight species of bird accounting for almost 70% of the declines. The house sparrow alone is responsible for a quarter of the overall fall in numbers.Â
While the declines are worrying, they would have been much worse had other species not grown in number. Â
Collectively, more species in the study increased in numbers than fell, with 203 species growing by 341 million individuals. The Eurasian blackcap saw the highest increase, at 55 million, while there are now around 29 million more blackbirds than there were 40 years ago. Â
The researchers said these increases are thanks to efforts in conserving habitats, which have seen protected reserves in the EU grow by over 1.3 million square kilometres since 1993 – about 800 times the size of London. Targeted action for rare species has paid off, with species such as birds of prey growing their populations.Â
But focusing conservation effort on rare and iconic species may have come at the expense of common birds like the sparrow, with abundant species seeing the sharpest population declines. Â
The scientists say that these losses could point to wider ecosystem damage, as abundant species contribute more to certain services than less common ones. For instance, more birds mean that more insect pests can be eaten, or more seeds spread to encourage plant growth.Â
This could have knock on effects for farming and other industries that we depend on, with BirdLife International, a conservation group which contributed to the study, calling for urgent action to protect biodiversity ahead of the upcoming UN conference on biodiversity, COP15.Â
The organisations interim head of conservation in Europe, Anna Staneva, says, This report loudly and clearly shows that nature is sounding the alarm. While protecting birds that are already rare or endangered has resulted in some successful recoveries, this doesnt seem to be enough to sustain the populations of abundant species.Â
Common birds are becoming less and less common, largely because the spaces they depend on are being wiped out by humans. Nature has been eradicated from our farmland, sea and cities. Governments across all of Europe must establish legally binding targets for nature restoration, otherwise the consequences will be severe, including for our own species.Â
Dr Fiona Burns, the studys lead author, says, Our study is a wake-up call to the very real threat of extinctions and of a Silent Spring, and we are fully supportive of ensuring a strong framework which puts conservation front and centre of any global plans.Â
The majority of the declines in population happened during the 1980s and 90s, when Europe lost about 1% of its birds annually. The overall decline leveled off around 2000, though it is still trending slightly downward. All told, this has led to the extinction of a fifth of the continent’s bird population. Â.
According to Anna Staneva, the organization’s acting head of conservation in Europe, “This report loudly and clearly shows that nature is sounding the alarm.” Although some successful recoveries of already rare or endangered birds have been achieved as a result of protection, it doesn’t appear that this is sufficient to maintain the populations of abundant species. Â.
This could have knock on effects for farming and other industries that we depend on, with BirdLife International, a conservation group which contributed to the study, calling for urgent action to protect biodiversity ahead of the upcoming UN conference on biodiversity, COP15.Â
A small number of species are suffering more severely than others, with only eight bird species accounting for nearly 90% of the declines. A quarter of the overall decline in numbers can be attributed to the house sparrow alone. Â.
Even with a few improvements, the decline in the population trends of EU bird species has not been significantly stopped. This suggests that more work will be required to gain understanding and buck the current trends for the good of people and the environment.
The European Union (EU) protects over 460 species of wild birds throughout their entire life cycle under the EU Birds Directive. According to the latest assessment, around half of these wild bird species have a good population status at the EU level, which is slightly less (5%) compared to the last reporting period (2008-2012). In the last six years, the proportion of birds having poor and bad conservation status has increased by 7% to reach a total of 39%.
Long-term trends in bird populations show that biodiversity in Europe has significantly decreased.
Because they are sensitive to changes in their surroundings, birds’ populations can serve as indicators of changes in ecosystems. Thus, keeping an eye on bird populations’ distribution and abundance can serve as a reliable indicator of the state of the environment. Regarding this, the EEA assessment on the “State of nature” offers data on the size and trends of bird populations, the distribution and trends of their breeding populations, the primary pressures on them, the actions that are taken, and the significance of Natura 2000 sites.
See the most recent “State of nature” report from the EEA for a comprehensive analysis of bird populations.
FAQ
What country has the most bird species?
How many species of birds are there in England?
How many species of birds are there worldwide?
How many species of birds are there in Australia?