The pace at which we are transforming the planet is a life-threatening problem for biodiversity. Songbirds cannot keep up with the change and although they can adapt by evolution, this is not at the rate needed to survive and thrive.
As human beings we are the planet's apex predator, with unrivalled power either to support or destroy biodiversity. As such, our charity’s mission, since were established in 2001, is to improve, protect, preserve, and restore the populations of songbirds (and other small birds) in the UK for the benefit of the public, and for nature in its widest sense.
They are a critical part of the ecosystem, dispersing seeds, keeping the balance between plants, herbivores, predator and prey, and recycling nutrients.
They respond quickly to changes in the environment, whether for good or bad, so they act as our early warning system for when things going wrong. They're an essential part of our ecosystem, and we need them for our own survival. They help by lifting the spirit, bringing comfort and joy, often at times when it's most needed.
The drivers influencing the population sizes of the 84 annually breeding songbird species in the UK are complex, interconnected, and ever changing. There is no single major cause of change that affects the overall songbird assemblage as a whole. Species populations are limited, and regulated, by multiple mechanisms including food supply weather habitat suitability predation and landscape scale processes.
In our report UK songbirds: threats and solutions, the current knowledge around the threats and issues are summarised across 9 categories.
Receive our monthly e-news and regular updates
.png)
