A new report assessing the status of all the UK’s 244 birds – Birds of Conservation Concern 4 – has also placed the curlew on its … Britain has 25 per cent of the world's breeding curlew population, and there are only 68,000 breeding pairs left. 67,886,011. see live. The population has fallen by 43 per cent since the mid-1990s, and their global status is listed as ‘near threatened’ by the IUCN. Data shows a 46 per cent decline in breeding curlew in the UK between 1994 and 2010, with over 50 per cent declines in Wales and Scotland. 21. "The trajectory is still a rapid decline and they are now listed as globally near-threatened. Breeding success, or lack of it, is the most pressing challenge the bird faces. Yearly Change + 0.53% Global Share. The Shropshire & Welsh Marches Recovery Project study area is central in the investigation into what can be done to reverse the decline in the UK and wider European Curlew populations. View live population, charts & trends: Population of the United Kingdom. The area is located on the Powys Shropshire border and is home to both lowland and upland species. Within the United Kingdom and Ireland, where a considerable proportion of the north-west European population traditionally breed, a UK and Ireland Curlew Action Group has been established, to monitor and study breeding birds with a view to reversing the downward population trend. The UK population of curlews makes up about a third of the world’s population, which is also in decline, and so their plight in Britain is grave, immediate, and of global significance. BBS Trends Tables example 2015 UK trends BTO / JNCC / RSPB Breeding Bird Survey Trends 2019 - UK BTO / JNCC / RSPB Breeding Bird Survey Trends 2019 - UK (XLSX, 32.97 KB) Country trends BTO / JNCC / RSPB Breeding Bird Survey Trends 2019 - England BTO / JNCC / RSPB Breeding Bird Survey Trends 2019 - England (XLSX, 30.82 KB) BTO / JNCC / RSPB Breeding Bird Survey Trends 2019 0.88% Global Rank. U.K. Population. Locally, the curlew population has declined by over 30% in 11 years. The plaintive song of the curlew denotes wildness, mystery and now, sadly, tragedy. Based on the combination of global conservation status (IUCN Near-Threatened), the global importance of the UK breeding population (19-27%) and the rapid decline of the UK breeding population (-48% since 1995), RSPB and others have argued that the curlew should be considered the UK’s highest conservation priority bird species (Brown et al 2015). "However, our UK breeding curlew population stands on the brink of collapse. It is not too late to save the curlew, and doing so save this rich and vital part of our natural and cultural heritage.