Dunnock (Hedge Accentor)
Prunella modularis
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Distribution Britain 2,511 (-3.2%) Ireland 947 (-2.3%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 2,000,000 Ireland 810,000 European status: 11,000,000 (26% in Britain and Ireland =1) British population trend: widespread declines (-31% CBC){-21%} How likely are you to record it? 3197 squares (71.2%) Ranked 9 [14] |
A familiar and common bird over almost all of Britain and Ireland, save the highest ground, and had apparently colonised the Outer Hebrides and Orkney during the 19th century. The birds have undoubtedly increased with the spread of human habitation, forestry planting and hedgerows. There is some evidence, from the two Breeding Atlases, that there may have been losses from the north-western mainland of Scotland. The CBC records for the years 1972-96 show declines of 40% on farmland and 41% on woodland. These are serious and unexplained but may be complicated by the very complex social systems with ordinary pairing and almost any combination of up to three or four males and females breeding together! Severe treatment of hedges in farmland has been blamed for local declines. Still a common bird but the unexplained declines are worrying.
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead