Milestone Publication on the Status of Ireland’s Countryside Birds

The Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) published the ‘Irish Wildlife Manual.’ This landmark publication reports on the status of 49 bird species from across the Irish countryside over the period 1998-2016.

The Countryside Bird Survey is funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and is coordinated by BirdWatch Ireland.

The full CBS Irish Wildlife Manual report is available on the NPWS website here.

Find out more about the Countryside Bird Survey here.

“Most species covered by CBS were found to be either stable or increasing in numbers over the last 20 years,” said Dick Coombes, national coordinator of the survey. “Twelve species were shown to be in decline though. One example is the Swift, which has been declining steadily over the 19 years. There are several factors that may be impacting on their numbers. Renovations to many old buildings in the last few decades have destroyed many of the Swift’s traditional nest sites and the birds are very slow to take up new nest sites, unfortunately. Swifts need a ready supply of airborne insects to feed their young and the abundance of such prey is believed to have been much reduced in recent years. Swifts also face many challenges on their long migration routes and on the wintering grounds in Africa, where deforestation may be impacting prey availability” according to Coombes.

“On the plus side though, many species are showing a healthy increase,” says Coombes. Perhaps the most dramatic positive population change, as shown by the CBS, is the Blackcap. Formerly restricted to just five counties in Ireland (during the mid-1960s), it is now distributed right across the country and steadily increasing in abundance too. The scrub and woodland habitats in which Blackcaps breed hasn’t changed much in the time of CBS, so clearly some other factors are at play. It seems likely that climate change (milder weather in the breeding season) is the main reason for the species’ on-going increase.

We have a long way to go to restore Ireland’s countryside bird populations to the numbers and distribution they had in recent decades. BirdWatch Ireland will continue to represent our members and the Irish public in the fight for Ireland’s birds at the national and EU levels, but we’re asking for your support to help us increase our efforts. See for details of our Farmland Bird Appeal and please donate if you can.