Results from national Willow Tit survey published

The results from a national survey focused on Willow Tit, Britain's fastest-declining resident bird, have been published.

It is well known that Willow Tit has been struggling in Britain in recent decades, with the species now extirpated in many counties – particularly in the south and east. The national population declined by 86% between 1995 and 2020.

Due to the declining numbers and range, monitoring of the species has become increasingly difficult, meaning that a national survey was needed if ongoing conservation work is to be properly underpinned by robust evidence.

Just under 5,700 breeding pairs of Willow Tit are estimated to remain in Britain (John Dickenson).

The first national Willow Tit survey was undertaken between 2019 and 2021, with county-level surveys undertaken across the known range by Willow Tit study groups, county bird clubs, other conservation organisations and other volunteers. The survey was organised by RSPB, with support from the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and the Welsh Ornithological Society. 

Although significantly impacted by COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021, it was possible to produce estimates at country and county levels across Willow Tit's range in England, Scotland and Wales. Overall, data from more than 1,900 tetrads were used for the survey analysis.

The survey results show that the Willow Tit population in Britain is estimated at just shy of 5,700 breeding pairs, of which 76% were in England, 21% in Wales and 3% in Scotland. North Yorkshire, Co Durham and Derbyshire were found to have the highest populations in England, while in Wales, most Willow Tits were in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Breconshire and Montgomeryshire. Almost all of Scotland's Willow Tits were in Dumfries and Galloway.

Work is ongoing to understand the causes of Willow Tit population decline. The results from this survey can help target conservation action at local and regional levels. A key tool will be the newly published Willow Tit Conservation Handbook from the recent Back From the Brink project, for those who are looking to undertake practical habitat management for Willow Tit, which provides advice on habitat management techniques and monitoring and surveying methods with supporting information on ecology and case study examples.

Birders are encouraged to continue to look out for Willow Tits nationally and submit sightings to BirdTrack.