Bird families 2016 vs 2008 
The following list compares the populations of bird families 2008 with 2016.
Population = The estimated population of the species at the height of the year as published by the RSPB in 2008 and 2016. Wintering population is given for winter migrants, summer populations for summer migrants.
| Family | Birds | 2016 population | 2008 population | Population (+/-) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Accentors |
1 bird | 5,000,000 | 4,326,000 |
+16% |
||
|
Auks |
5 birds | 3,390,598 | 4,260,974 |
-20.4% |
||
|
Bearded tit |
1 bird | 1,260 | 1,063 |
+19% |
||
|
Bitterns and herons |
5 birds | 68,235 | 30,102 |
+127% |
||
|
Boobies and gannets |
1 bird | 440,000 | 437,092 |
+0.7% |
||
|
Buntings |
6 birds | 1,956,930 | 2,021,944 |
-3.2% |
||
|
Chats and thrushes |
14 birds | 30,857,843 | 28,843,949 |
+7% |
||
|
Cormorants and shags |
2 birds | 151,000 | 99,250 |
+52% |
||
|
Cranes |
1 bird | 52 | 40 |
+30% |
||
|
Crows |
8 birds | 9,075,670 | 7,334,526 |
+24% |
||
|
Cuckoos |
1 bird | 32,000 | 29,600 |
+8.1% |
||
|
Dippers |
1 bird | 24,900 | 26,800 |
-7.1% |
||
|
Divers |
3 birds | 20,160 | 8,300 |
+143% |
||
|
Falcons and allies |
4 birds | 103,000 | 83,464 |
+23% |
||
|
Finches |
16 birds | 20,058,047 | 17,328,417 |
+16% |
||
|
Flycatchers |
2 birds | 109,000 | 202,400 |
-46.1% |
||
|
Grebes |
5 birds | 41,287 | 47,235 |
-12.6% |
||
|
Grouse |
4 birds | 488,550 | 342,180 |
+43% |
||
|
Gulls |
11 birds | 4,710,910 | 3,535,655 |
+33% |
||
|
Hawks and eagles |
11 birds | 213,065 | 161,536 |
+32% |
||
|
Hoopoe |
1 bird | 100 | 100 |
0% |
||
|
Ibises and spoonbills |
1 bird | 20 | 50 |
-60% |
||
|
Kingfishers |
1 bird | 8,400 | 12,800 |
-34.4% |
||
|
Larks |
3 birds | 3,006,274 | 3,576,168 |
-15.9% |
||
|
Long-tailed tits |
1 bird | 680,000 | 546,000 |
+25% |
||
|
Nightjars |
1 bird | 9,200 | 6,800 |
+35% |
||
|
Nuthatches |
1 bird | 440,000 | 288,000 |
+53% |
||
|
Orioles |
1 bird | 85 | 85 |
0% |
||
|
Osprey |
1 bird | 450 | 296 |
+52% |
||
|
Owls |
5 birds | 165,450 | 108,680 |
+52% |
||
|
Oystercatchers |
1 bird | 340,000 | 338,700 |
+0.4% |
||
|
Parrots |
1 bird | 17,200 | 4,300 |
+300% |
||
|
Partridges, quails, pheasants and allies |
6 birds | 4,851,250 | 4,117,710 |
+18% |
||
|
Petrels and shearwaters |
7 birds | 2,449,095 | 2,447,319 |
+0.1% |
||
|
Pigeons and doves |
5 birds | 14,428,000 | 7,232,000 |
+100% |
||
|
Pipits and wagtails |
7 birds | 5,294,190 | 4,326,800 |
+22% |
||
|
Plovers and lapwings |
6 birds | 1,179,760 | 2,267,665 |
-48% |
||
|
Rails |
5 birds | 734,760 | 732,536 |
+0.3% |
||
|
Sandpipers and allies |
25 birds | 3,775,272 | 1,518,752 |
+149% |
||
|
Shrikes |
2 birds | 313 | 250 |
+25% |
||
|
Skuas |
4 birds | 23,540 | 23,540 |
0% |
||
|
Sparrows |
2 birds | 11,000,000 | 5,936,001 |
+85% |
||
|
Starlings |
1 bird | 1,608,000 | 1,608,000 |
0% |
||
|
Stilts and avocets |
1 bird | 7,500 | 3,395 |
+121% |
||
|
Stone-curlews |
1 bird | 700 | 694 |
+0.9% |
||
|
Swallows and martins |
3 birds | 2,968,000 | 2,615,000 |
+13% |
||
|
Swans, ducks and geese |
33 birds | 3,039,097 | 2,264,506 |
+34% |
||
|
Swifts |
1 bird | 174,000 | 170,000 |
+2.4% |
||
|
Terns |
6 birds | 158,478 | 160,014 |
-1% |
||
|
Tits |
6 birds | 21,616,150 | 20,583,950 |
+5% |
||
|
Treecreepers |
2 birds | 400,700 | 428,700 |
-6.5% |
||
|
Warblers and allies |
18 birds | 17,185,524 | 15,016,788 |
+14% |
||
|
Waxwings |
1 bird | 11,000 | 100 |
10900% |
||
|
Wrens |
1 bird | 17,200,000 | 17,024,000 |
+1% |
||
|
Wrynecks and woodpeckers |
4 birds | 387,280 | 133,980 |
+189% |