Baker Consultants

The Fifth Edition of the Birds of Conservation Concern Has Been Released

The fifth edition of the Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC 5) has recently been published by British Birds and the main changes are that the UK now has 70 (29%) red listed species, 103 (42%) amber listed species and 72 (29%) green listed species

Golden Oriel has also now been added to the list of former breeding birds as none have been recorded as doing so since 2009.

The latest edition of Birds of Conservation Concern by British Birds has seen a total of 29 species have moved to a different list since BoCC 4, with 11 species joining the red list, and Ptarmigan and Greenfinch have been moved straight from the green list to the red list. Also moving up from the amber to the red list are: Bewick’s Swan, Common Goldeneye, Smew, Common Swift, Dunlin, Purple Sandpiper, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Montagu’s Harrier and House Martin.

Not only have some of our resident breeding birds been added to the red list, but also some of our summer and winter migrant birds.

However, it was not all bad news, with nine species improving. Six have moved from the red list to the amber list (Song Thrush, Redwing, Pied Flycatcher, Black Redstart, Grey Wagtail and White-Tailed Eagle); and Red Grouse, Mute Swan and Kingfisher have been moved from the amber to the green list.

The revised list will now be used to target research and management to help the species that are most at risk.

If you need any bird surveys carrying out or have any queries about what this change to the BoCC lists might mean for an existing project, then get in touch and our expert ornithologists will be able to help you find a practical solution. Please get in touch with us via our contact form on the website, or you can call us on +44 (0)1629 593958 or email us on info@bakerconsultants.co.uk.