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What3birds?
April 21, 2021
SongBird Survival charity launches ‘what3birds?’campaign for International Dawn Chorus Day (2nd May):
The Public are Challenged to do 3 Things to Help Prevent Britain’s most threatened Songbirds from going extinct:-
26th April 2021 [LONDON] Lockdown, plus, environmental concerns have led to ever greater interest in UK wildlife and biodiversity, as shown by the fact that this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch saw twice as many members of the British public get involved. This is of no surprise, given that 4 out of 5 Brits say birdsong makes them happier, and 72% say it makes them less stressed. Yet, how many people know which 3 songbird species are the most threatened in their region, or how to help keep their exquisite songs alive?
Today, the independent charity, SongBird Survival, launches a new campaign, what3birds? to encourage the UK public of all ages (rural and urban) to ‘spot and plot’ three species of birds they can see, but also learn about the 3 species at risk from extinction in their region. Susan Morgan, CEO of the charity explains, “Our what3birds? campaign is focussed on education, but its ultimate goal is to keep a rich and diverse dawn chorus alive. Few people realise that UK songbirds have fallen 50% in just two generations - 50 years! Yet the public can help stem this tide of extinction by finding out more, taking simple steps to support local songbirds, and putting pressure on policy makers to make songbird survival a priority.”
The 50% decline refers to all songbird species: some species have declined by up to 90%, whilst others have increased. The aim is to boost biodiversity. However, as Birdwatch results showed, the goldfinch and collared dove (which had done well in recent years) had declined year on year, and only a few species - robins, blackbirds, carrion crows and song thrush - increased.
The most at-risk species include the following, whose populations fell from 1995-2018 by:-
North East: Swift -72% | Greenfinch -63% | Yellowhammer -63%
North West: Swift - 74% | Greenfinch -59% |Yellowhammer -46%
Yorkshire: Greenfinch -64% |Starling -63% | Cuckoo -62%
East Midlands: Cuckoo -83% | Willow Warbler -57% | Meadow Pipit -54%
West Midlands: Cuckoo -78% | Starling -70% | Greenfinch -52%
South East: Turtle Dove -96% | Willow Warbler -81% | House Martin -56%
South West: Cuckoo -83% | Starling - 71% | Mistle Thrush -57%
London: House Sparrow -67% | Starling -63% | Mistle Thrush -59%
East Anglia: Turtle Dove -95%|Willow Warbler -81%|Meadow Pipit -61%
Wales: Swift -72%|Greenfinch -71%|Starling -65%
Northern Ireland: Greenfinch -82%|Skylark -28%|Reed Bunting -28%
Scotland: Greenfinch -67% |Curlew by 59% |Lapwing -56%
An online map has been designed by the charity so that members of the public can plot the birds they’ve spotted in their region, and learn about the most at-risk species there. Fast-growing location technology company, what3words, is being used for the campaign: it has divided the world into a grid of 3m squares, and labelled each one with three unique words - a ‘what3words address’. The map thus enables the public to easily plot exactly where the birds are seen, without having to use complex systems like coordinates.
Georgina Bradley, Manager of SongBird Survival, regularly spots song thrushes, green woodpeckers and cuckoos at the what3words location, ‘///enclosing.example.brightly’, in Norfolk. In her words, “A combination of factors has led to the halving of UK songbirds in just two generations: Habitat loss, lack of food, predation and invasion by non-native species are all to blame. Education is everything when it comes to conservation, so what3birds? will inform people which species are at risk in their region, and how to help. We hope the campaign stokes curiosity and unites us all as bird lovers of Britain.”
Giles Rhys Jones, CMO at what3words, says, “We are delighted to support SongBird Survival’s what3birds? campaign. Bird-watching is a brilliant use case for our technology, as people can discover and share the three words for places that are often difficult to describe - with great hgp[;4accuracy.’
Option 1: Use the online map at what3words.com: open what3words.com in your browser and click the search bar. Enter a street address or place name and select the correct result. Zoom in, switch to satellite mode and drag the map to select the exact square you want. The what3words address for the selected square will be displayed in the red bar.
Option 2: Use the what3words app: https://what3words.com/how-to-use-the-what3words-app/?#find
Privacy Notice: Home sightings are safe to share with the charity. They will be entered into its anonymous database, but NO names or personal details will be recorded on the online ‘plot’ map, or shared with any person or organisation. To protect user privacy, please don’t share what3words addresses from a home or garden on social media. Instead, it is recommended users share their ‘spots’ when in a park, field or public space instead.
1. Clean your feeders and birdbaths regularly to stop the spread of disease
2. Delay hedge cutting until after the nesting period (September), as it disturbs songbirds
3. Plant insect-attracting plants, seeding plants and native plants so that native wildlife flourishes
4. Avoid chemical pesticide or herbicides, as they can be DEADLY to songbirds
5. Do NOT feed birds bread, milk, desiccated coconut or any salty foods
6. Inspire others to take action: send an inspirational image of an at-risk songbird species in their region
7. Become a member of SongBird Survival, donate or fundraise - e.g. go on a sponsored cycle ride
8. Find out more about the top quality scientific research that SongBird Survival funds
IMAGES of the at risk songbird species and regional ‘missing’ posters can be found here.
SongBird Survival is the only charity in the UK solely dedicated to halting the alarming decline of song and other small birds – birds, such as corn bunting, willow tit, tree & house sparrow. It does so by funding independent scientific studies that aim to shed light on the reasons why around 50% of our songbirds have disappeared over the past 50 years. These studies will help determine how land can be managed more sustainably, with a view to restoring a rich, balanced and resilient population of birds similar to that enjoyed in the 1970s to help keep a healthy dawn chorus alive. The charity was founded in 2001. www.songbird-survival.org.uk Facebook @SongBirdSBS | Twitter @SongBirdSBS | Instagram @songbirdsurvival
For all enquiries, including interview requests, case studies, images please contact Jess Purdie or Ezra Saifie at Curious PR Jess@CuriousPR.com or Ezra@CuriousPR.com T +44 (0)20 3397 9111 M +44 (0)7747 794306 or M +44(0)7435 968851
Instagram CuriousPR | Twitter @Curious_PR | Website www.CuriousPR.com
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