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1. Which bird species has the largest UK breeding population? Wren 8,600,000 pairs.
2. How many UK breeding bird species have populations of over 1 million pairs? I think there are 21; pheasant, wood pigeon, jackdaw, carrion crow, blue tit, great tit, skylark, chiffchaff, willow warbler, blackcap, whitethroat, starling, blackbird, song thrush, robin, dunnock, house sparrow, meadow pipit, chaffinch, greenfinch and goldfinch.
3. Which is the commonest UK breeding species that Mark Avery has never seen anywhere in the world (UK population of 48,000 pairs)? Leach’s petrel
4. Which is the commoner in each of these pairs of species: little owl and barn owl; chiffchaff and willow warbler; jackdaw and carrion crow; yellowhammer and reed bunting; red kite and merlin? It’s the one highlighted in bold in each case.
5. All these species have similar-sized breeding populations in the UK; woodlark, goosander, Dartford warbler and willow tit. Are they in the 2000s, 3000s, 4000s, 5000s or 6000s? They are all in the 3000-3999 pair range.
All the answers, and so much more, can be found in the February issue of British Birds (with a dipper on the cover).
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Mark
British Birds states that there are 23 species with populations over 1 million pairs.
Steve – I must have misses a couple then. Which were they?
I haven’t counted them individually Mark, but on page 64 of the report, 23 species are quoted.
I truly no nowt 🙂 I’m so proud…..
Douglas – well done!
Well… You missed the commonest of all. (wren). And I counted rook also to make my total of 23.
Doug -you are right!
Leach’s was my commonest missing bird until recently. What a pleasure when one finally stayed put for me. Something for you to look forward to!
You missed out Rook (1,100,000 pairs) and of course Wren!
Q3 seemed so improbable, I didn’t know where to start (unless it was a trick, the question didn’t actually mention birds). But I nearly got there, might have said storm petrel. If you have not read Kathleen Jamie – on petrels, whales and other matters, then do.
Really expected answer to Q3 to be an albatross or peguin species from the UKOTs, didn’t expect you to use such a narrow definition of UK;-)
Robin – I feel chastised. My horizons have always been too narrow.
Now I know that’s not true!