Farmland birds reach their lowest point in England

News from the RSPB site

The latest figures published by the UK government on wild bird populations in the UK has shown that the index of birds counted breeding on England's farmland has tumbled to its lowest point, since recording began in the 1960s.

Reacting to the news, Dr Sue Armstrong-Brown, the RSPB's head of countryside policy, said: 'Farmland birds are the barometer by which the Government measures the health of the countryside. We wish there was a better story to tell – but the farmland bird index reaching its lowest point is extremely depressing news.'

The English farmland bird index includes species like grey partridge, turtle dove, skylark, yellowhammer, linnet and yellow wagtail, all birds that are reliant on farmland and whose populations have declined by more than half since the 1970s.

'We want to work with the farming community to make sure that the trend from here is upwards'

The RSPB is concerned that today's announcement follows other recent terrible news for farmland birds. The RSPB has predicted that the recent decision to cut the amount of set-aside land – areas of land where the growing of food crops is restricted - to zero could have a devastating effect on birds already struggling.

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Thanks for that info Robert :)

That's a pretty worrying statistic.