CONSERVATION STATUS 2010 OF BIRDS IN SPAINdatazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/sowb/countries/Spain2010... · other groups of fauna and flora (mammals,amphibians,reptiles, freshwater

CONSERVATION STATUS OF BIRDS IN SPAIN

2010

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CONSERVATION STATUS OF BIRD IN SPAIN IN 2010

Credits

Recommended citation for publicationSEO/BirdLife 2010. Conservation status of bird in Spain in 2010. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.

In collaboration with

SEO/BirdLife. C/ Melquiades Biencinto 34. 28053 Madrid.Tel.: + 34 91 434 09 10

[email protected] · www.seo.org

Authors of texts, figures and tables: Alejandro Sánchez, Ana Bermejo, Ana Carricondo, Ana Íñigo, Blas Molina, David Howell, David Palomino, JuanBécares, Juan Carlos Atienza, Juan Carlos del Moral, Octavio Infante, Pep Arcos, Roberto González and Virginia Escandell.Editing: David Howell, Agustín Carretero, Ana Bermejo, Blas Molina, Josefina Maestre, Juan Carlos del Moral and Virginia Escandell.Translation: OpenDOORtranslationsData collection: Mariano Velázquez, Emilio Escudero and Blas Molina.Database: Pedro Silos.Cover photograph: Jesús Mateos Interior photographs: Alejandro Vicente, Antonio Pestana, Aurelio Martín, Beltrán Ceballos, Beneharo Rodríguez, Blas Molina, Carlos Sanz, FélixFernández, Foto-Ardeidas, Francis Martín, Guillermo Doval, Jaime G. Puente, Javier Milla, Jordi Prieto, José Val Molina, Juan Bécares, Juan Carlos Atienza,Juan Carlos del Moral, Julio González, Luis Barrón, Manuel Lobón, Marcelo Cabrera, Nicolás Gallego, Pep Arcos, Quique Marcelo, Raúl Fernández,Tatavasco, Vicente María y Virginia Escandell. Illustrations: Juan Varela SimóLayout: Simétrica S.L.Printing: Netaigraf, S.L.L.Printed in Spain.

© SEO/BirdLife 2010The text may be used free of charge for the purposes of conservation work and campaigns, education and research, provided that thesource is acknowledged in full. The copyright holder requests that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes.For copying in any other circumstances, or for re-use in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, permission must be secured.E-mail [email protected] further information on the issues raised in this paper please e-mail [email protected].

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Foreword: SEO/BirdLife Birds as biodiversity indicators and the work ofSEO/BirdLife.

Foreword: the Ministry of Environment andMarine and Rural Affairs Biodiversity monitoring systems and new targets after2010.

IntroductionThe latest available information about bird populations andIBAs for the ‘International Year of Biological Diversity’.

General results It has not been possible to halt the loss of biodiversityduring the last decade.

Birds in farmland habitatsModern farming methods are the cause of conservationproblems for many birds in Spain.

Birds in steppe habitats This is the most neglected habitat in terms of conservationmeasures, and almost all bird species associated with itsuffer conservation problems.

Birds in scrub habitatsThe Dartford Warbler and the Southern Grey Shrike arehighlighted as the most endangered species of thisenvironment.

Birds in forest and woodland habitatsAlthough in general the conservation status of forest andwoodland birds is better than that in other habitats,many species are still threatened.

Birds in alpine habitatsCurrently this is one of the habitats with the leastinformation on bird populations.

Birds in rock face habitatsAlthough most birds of prey associated with thisenvironment show positive population trends, they arestill threatened.

Birds in wetland habitats After years of working to conserve Spanish wetlands,the situation for most of the associated bird species hasnot improved and many are still seriously threatened.

Birds in marine habitatsThis group includes many species which have been verylittle studied; moreover, at sea there are numerousthreats which mean that many of them are endangered.

Birds in urban habitatsAlthough the overall population of the bird speciesfound in our cities is huge, some of them show worryingpopulation declines.

The status of Important Bird Areas The network of important areas for bird conservationhas been completed thanks to the identification ofmarine IBAs.

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indexGENERAL RESULTS

BIRDS IN ALPINE HABITATS

BIRDS IN WETLAND HABITATS

BIRDS IN MARINE HABITATS

THE STATUS OF IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS

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t is difficult to overstate the important role that birdscurrently play as indicator organisms. Perhaps it is enough topoint out that without them, it would have been far more

time-consuming and costly to detect the very seriousenvironmental problems caused by the use of DDT and otherinsecticides in the middle of the last century, or more recently,to discover the harmful effects that result from the intensificationof agriculture on biodiversity. Without birds and, of course,without the hundreds or thousands of amateur ornithologists,organised through scientific and conservation associations, whocontribute unselfishly with their knowledge and efforts tocompile the necessary field information, we would not haveaccess to as much biodiversity data as we do now. Since1967, several species of birds have been used in the UnitedStates National Pesticide Monitoring Program. Since 1999 thepopulation size of common birds has been used as one of themain indicators of quality of life and sustainable developmentin the United Kingdom. Little by little, as modern societies'enthusiasm for ornithology has grown, and concern about theenvironment and biodiversity conservation has also increased,long-term bird population monitoring programmes have alsoadvanced, together with the institutional recognition of theirpractical applications.

In the case of Spain, the pioneering efforts date back to the1970s with the organization of the winter waterfowl censusand the work towards the national ornithological atlas.However, the common birds monitoring programme (SACRE,by its initials in Spanish) did not start until 1996.This representsa significant delay compared to other western Europeancountries. Obviously, this is associated with the relatively latedevelopment of an interest in birds (by way of example, in1980 SEO/BirdLife had not reached the figure of 500members, while in 1990 it was just above 2,000 members, tenyears later it exceeded 6,000 and today it is close to 12,000members). Nevertheless, from very early on, we Spanishornithologists saw very clearly what our goal was. In the beliefthat knowledge and the conservation of birds should go handin hand, we have not wavered in our commitment to pursuehigh quality bird monitoring programmes.We have also beenfortunate with the many years of trust placed in us by thepublic authorities responsible for biodiversity conservation,thus making possible the continuity of effort which is essentialfor the success of such programmes.

For these reasons, the publication I am honoured to presenthere is, for me, and for all of us in SEO/BirdLife, a source ofimmense satisfaction. I believe that this document faithfullyrepresents the different methodological approaches and themain results that, at last, allow us to have a relatively clear andaccurate overview of the current state of Spain’s bird fauna,which is the basic tool needed for its conservation. I am alsoconfident that this information will be useful in the efforts ofthe different public authorities and non-governmentalorganisations to conserve biodiversity, especially important ata time when new goals are needed after the confirmation ofthe failure of the 2010 targets.

I cannot finish without expressing my thanks for the manysources of support that enable SEO/BirdLife to carry out itsbird monitoring programme, especially our members andsupporters who consistently get up at the crack of dawn tocarry out field surveys. And last but not least, I would like tomake clear our commitment to consolidate and improve asfar as possible this very important work as we look to thefuture.

Eduardo de JuanaPresident

SEO/BirdLife

FOREWORD: SEO/BirdLifeBirds as biodiversity indicators and the workof SEO/BirdLife.

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he United Nations has declared 2010 as theInternational Year of Biological Diversity. This is aunique opportunity to return biodiversity to the

centre stage of politics. It coincides with the end of a cycle,marked by the failure to achieve the 2010 Target to stopbiodiversity loss on the European Union scale. The EUCommission itself has acknowledged this fact in its interimassessment of the implementation of the EC BiodiversityAction Plan.

Over this whole period - that is, since the 2010 Target wasannounced until now - there have been important gaps ininformation and in standardised and comprehensive systems ofindicators to assess compliance with the target. However, thereare exceptions: for more than a decade, SEO/BirdLife - fundedover the last six years by the Ministry of Environment, Ruraland Marine Affairs (MARM, by its initials in Spanish) - haschampioned an initiative in Spain, setting up a monitoringsystem based on the most common birds, to study theirpopulation trends and the characteristics of their ecosystems.

Currently the work of the EU Spanish Presidency is in fullswing. Spain supports an ambitious new post-2010 goal forthe EU, which includes a long-term vision (2050) in whichbiodiversity and goods and services provided by ecosystems,are well protected and restored.There is also a medium-termmission (to be accomplished in 2020) to halt biodiversity lossand the degradation of ecosystem services, by restoring themas far as possible and by increasing the EU contribution topreventing global biodiversity loss.

Regardless of the final statement adopted for the new goalpost 2010, it is clear that we must all work hard to achieve itscompliance. However, there is no doubt that we now possessthe invaluable basic knowledge to assess objectively thefulfilment of the new goals.This knowledge is largely the resultof bird monitoring, carried out since 1998. In 2010 the MARMis due to complete the implementation of a biodiversitymonitoring system in Spain. Here, SEO/BirdLife´s pioneeringrole is inspiring the monitoring being undertaken now withother groups of fauna and flora (mammals, amphibians, reptiles,freshwater fish, vascular plants and, soon, invertebrates).

This monitoring work is backed up by the instrumentsestablished by the Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Law42/2007, which will establish indicators of trends in ourbiodiversity. By continuing this work, we will be able to takeon the future evaluation of the challenges that we commitourselves to in this Year of Biological Didiversity.

José Jiménez García-HerreraDirector General of Natural Environment and Forest Policy

Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs

FOREWORD: MARMBiodiversity monitoring systems and newtargets after 2010

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s 2010 is the International Year of Biological Diversity,this document has been published with aim ofproviding information on the status of biodiversity in

Spain, based on bird populations.

In general, we understand biodiversity as "the variety of plantand animal life in the world or in a particular habitat" (OxfordEnglish Dictionary). Ecologists add some nuances so that thevariety of lasting interactions among species and their immediateenvironment is included in the definition. It is quite clear herethat they are right, since - as we will see in subsequent chapters- it is in certain environments that most species withconservation problems are found, due to their closedependency on the habitats associated with that environment.In the same way, in the world of biology biodiversity not onlyrefers to the number of different species, but also to the numberof populations of organisms. Biodiversity is not only lost whenspecies disappear ; when thousands of individuals of a singlespecies are lost, without it disappearing completely, thisweakens the links between the different organisms and theirsurroundings, causing a drastic decline in biodiversity.Furthermore, it is possible to measure this loss in the numberof individuals through bird monitoring programmes such asthose carried out by SEO/BirdLife.

At present, birds are the animal group with the largest quantityof information available and they are therefore used asindicators of biodiversity health. Long-term monitoringprogrammes of bird populations, annual bird counts, theproduction and updating of atlases of bird distribution, thereview of species action plans, the inventory of Important BirdAreas and all the work done by SEO/BirdLife thanks tothousands of volunteers, mean that birds are one of the toolsby which we can understand the state of our environment.

In 2004, the publication of the latest Red Book of Birds of Spainand the new Atlas of Breeding Birds of Spain updated the figuresused to establish the conservation status of our bird fauna. Sixyears on, SEO/BirdLife has continued to work on the inventoryof birds and important bird areas, so that its conservation workis more effective.

With the aim of publicising the state of our birds in 2010, all theavailable and up-to-date information (up to and including2009) has been methodically summarised in the presentpublication. The data come mainly from the Common Bird

Monitoring Programme (SACRE, by its initials in Spanish, 1996-2009), extended in 2008 with SACRE in winter, from theNOCTUA Programme for nocturnal birds (2004-2009), fromthe PASER ringing programme for migratory birds (1997-2009), from specific bird censuses (2004-2009) and frombringing together work undertaken by other people, groupsor institutions. Where there is no new information availablesince the publication of the Red Book and the Atlas of BreedingBirds, the information presented is that included in thesepublications. The current status of the Important Bird Areas(IBAs) is also described, together with their degree ofcorrespondence with the Special Protection Areas for birds(SPAs), with the data coming from the monitoring undertakenby a large number of volunteers.

There is now much more information available than there wassix years ago, making it possible to reaffirm the concern formany species, sound the alarm for those species whichpreviously had insufficient data available, or confirm the goodconservation status of other species where appropriate.However, large information gaps still remain. Several projectsset up in recent years by SEO/BirdLife - supported by the

INTRODUCTIONThe latest available information about birdpopulations and IBAs for the International Yearof Biological Diversity

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The index obtained by SEO/BirdLife from thecommon bird monitoring programmes hasbecome one of the indicators used by theSpanish Sustainability Monitoring Centre (OSE,in its initials in Spanish) to evaluate theSpanish development model. The ‘CommonBird Index’ is one of 6 Biodiversity Indicatorsconsidered in the Spanish Strategy forSustainable Development (EEDS, in its initialsin Spanish).

In some habitats analyses by region have been carried out to identify the geographical differences in common bird trends.

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Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs - willmake it possible to identify conservation priorities moreprecisely: the new Atlas of Wintering Birds in Spain, theCommon Bird Monitoring Programme in Winter and thecomputerisation of all the ringing data in Spain, which will makepossible the publication of the first Atlas of Migratory Birds inSpain.

This document is divided into sections according to differentenvironments. Each section describes the general characteristicsof the habitat, its main conservation problems, the populationtrends of the common birds that are found there, and thecurrent state of knowledge and conservation of the specieswhich are monitored or for which there are separate censusdata available. Some generalist species could be included in thechapters for any of several different habitats, but they havebeen assigned to those where they are most frequentlyencountered.

The population trends of common bird species are expressedas an index calculated as the mean of the interannual variationsbetween the first and last years considered by each monitoringprogramme (for more information about the significance ofthe trends, see: www.seo.org/seguimientodeaves). Theconservation status of species considered to be uncommonhas been established according to the latest available data andfollowing the IUCN criteria, as in the production of the RedBook of Birds of Spain. Finally, the conservation status of theImportant Bird Areas comes from the revision carried outbetween 2008 and 2010.

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GENERAL RESULTS

It has not been possible to halt the loss of biodiversity during the lastdecade.

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n the time that has elapsed since the publication of themost recent Red Book of Birds of Spain (2004), the vastmajority of the species that were regarded as threatened

continue to be so, and other species have become threatenedor show disturbing negative trends. Some 23% of bird specieswith regular presence in Spain are at a high risk of extinction.A further 23% of common birds register a negative trend, and74% of the Important Bird Areas (IBAs) show an unfavourabletrend or are in an unfavourable conservation state.

Therefore, it is clear that Spain, along with the other EuropeanUnion countries, has not fulfilled the target of haltingbiodiversity loss by 2010. This situation is the result of acombination of circumstances, which can be summarised asthe lack of enforcement of existing laws and the delay in thedevelopment and implementation of the various strategies andplans to conserve species and protected areas. In Europe andin Spain the legislation is frankly very good (for example, theBirds and Habitats Directives, Law 4/1989, now replaced bythe Law 42/2007, etc.), and it should allow us to improvesignificantly the situation of our bird species, which are stillfacing many threats. For instance, the destruction of habitatsaffects all of the threatened species and for 80% of them thisthreat is of high importance, according to the latest Red Book.

Currently, the Spanish bird fauna comprises 439 species thatbreed or winter in or migrate regularly across our country,although there are records of more than 500 species. Of these,156 are listed in some of the categories of threatened speciesestablished by IUCN in the latest Red Book of Birds of Spain(2004). In 2010, in addition to the available data for theassessment made in the Red Book, information has beenupdated on 181 taxa through specific coordinated censuses orpopulation estimates, and population trends are available for142 species recorded in the common bird monitoringprogramme.

I The indicators obtained through the study ofbirds must be a fundamental part of themonitoring system for the new post-2010Biodiversity Target, which will be defined atEuropean level during the Spanish Presidencyof the EU (first half of 2010) and approved atthe 10th Conference of the Parties to theConvention on Biological Diversity (October2010 in Nagoya, Japan).

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In Europe all the groups of common birds show negative trends.

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Common birds: the general picture The trends of some birds that, up until now, had largepopulations and were widely distributed, should be ofparticular concern. The monitoring carried out for morethan ten years shows that more than 20% of these birds,designated ‘common birds’, show a negative trend. Thisdecline is a symptom, or an indicator, that the functioning ofsome habitats has changed to a significant degree. Thissituation must be addressed as soon as possible to avoidthese and other species from being included on the RedList in the medium term. But reversing the negative trendsmay be a complex matter, as it implies the need to modifysignificant land-use policies such as those for agriculture,transport infrastructure or urban development.

Among the common birds, only one taxon has been foundto suffer a significantly important decline in the last 12 years:the Whinchat. This is a species associated with theagricultural environments of northern Spain, a habitat inwhich there appears to be a general decline, although notso marked, for all the species present. Besides the Whinchat,a moderate decline has been detected in 31 common birds.Most of them are also linked to farmland (Skylark, CalandraLark, Zitting Cisticola, Pied Wagtail, Black-eared Wheatear,Goldfinch, Common Quail, Yellowhammer, Crested Lark,Tree Sparrow, Southern Grey Shrike and Corn Bunting) andothers are related to more open environments, but alsoconnected with farming systems (Eurasian Jackdaw, Serin,Little Owl and Green Woodpecker). Also the DartfordWarbler, very much associated with scrubland, shows adownward trend.The largest population increase has beenobserved in both the Eurasian Collared-Dove and theGreat Spotted Cuckoo, in continuous trends detected overthe last five years.

However, for the 140 most common birds in Spain thegeneral trend is stable when all species are consideredtogether: the average of the interanual variations between1998 and 2009 was +0.2%.The reason for this apparentoverall stability is that the declines in farmland habitats areoffset by the increases in woodland and forest species,which have been consistent in recent years.

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Trends in populations of common bird associated with different habitattypes in Spain, 1998-2009

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The SACRE Programme shows clearly that 30 out of the 38species with a moderate positive trend are birds of scrub orforest environments. Nevertheless, some taxa in these habitats,such as the Common Bullfinch, the Common Whitethroat andthe Green Woodpecker, show some degree of decline.

These indicators reveal that farmland is being subjected to agreater loss of biodiversity than other environments and,therefore, it is necessary to take specific measures to halt andreverse this decline.The recorded annual average decline in thesepopulations is more and more pronounced (-0.6% up to 2008and -1.1% up to 2009), and even more so in farmed dryland areas(especially in areas under the traditional cereal cropping system).

Changes in populations of all common bird species, 1998-2009

The Common Bird Monitoring Programme(SACRE, by its initials in Spanish), undertakenin Spain between 1998 and 2009, via theannual repetition of 20 listening stations innearly 900 areas (around 18,000 censuspoints), has established one of the bestindicators of our biodiversity.

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Threatened species: the generalpictureMost of the species with a high risk of extinction ten years ago,continue to be threatened today. Fortunately, very few speciesor taxa have joined this ‘negative’ list.

Through the coordinated special census programme (carriedout by SEO/BirdLife in recent years in cooperation with theMinistry and the regional governments), the population size,area of distribution and the trends of 84 species have beenupdated (when previous information was available), most ofwhich are included in the Red Book of Birds of Spain.

Likewise, their conservation status has been updated from thatpublished in the latest Red Book. For example, the Black Ternhas passed from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Critically Endangered’; twoother species of tern, the Sandwich Tern and the Little Tern,from ‘Near Threatened’ to ‘Vulnerable’; and the Hen Harrierand the Peregrine Falcon are now classified as ‘Vulnerable’ astheir likelihood of extinction has increased.

However, not all the trends detected are negative. Followingthe results of the 2007 census, the Slender-billed Gull couldmove from ‘Vulnerable’ to unlisted, since the species isexpanding in Spain and its population is growing.

Category changes in threatened species between 2004 and 2010

Currently, wetland birds are the most threatened speciesgroup. In fact, 8 out of the 16 taxa classified as "CriticallyEndangered" are birds associated with his environment, sincemost of them have very small populations and very stricthabitat requirements. Although we no longer see wetlanddrainage schemes, our wetlands suffer pollution fromagriculture, industry and domestic sewage discharges, poorwater management and substantial human disturbance. Theapproval of new River Basin Management Plans and wetlandSPA Management Plans in 2010 and 2011 are opportunitiesthat must not be wasted.

The conservation status of birds in steppe habitats is also veryworrying.Two-thirds of them (67%) are classified in the threatenedcategories: two are ‘Critically Endangered’with populations nearlyextinct, the Small Buttonquail and a subspecies of the LesserShort-toed Lark (Calandrella rufescens rufescens); six are‘Endangered’, Houbara Bustard, Dupont's Lark, Cream-coloured Courser, Trumpeter Finch and two endemicsubspecies of the Canary Islands (Stone-curlew subsp. distinctusand Lesser Short-toed Lark subsp. polatzekí).The agriculturalintensification brought about by the Common Agricultural Policy,the degradation of habitats caused by urban expansion andinfrastructure construction, and bird mortalities in power lines arethe main reasons for these declines, in addition to overgrazing inthe Canary Islands.

The conservation status of seabirds is also inadequate. Despitethe majority of their colonies being protected, the trend isnegative, mainly because of the high mortality rate among

adults. Accidental captures in marine fishing gear andhydrocarbon pollution are the main causes, in addition torodent predation of eggs and chicks in seabird colonies.Particularly noteworthy is the fragile situation of the BalearicShearwater, an endemic breeding bird of the Balearic Islands.It is necessary to declare maritime extensions of existing SPAsas soon as possible and to establish an effective strategy toavoid the accidental deaths of birds in fishing gear.

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Although the conservation status of common forest birds isgenerally good, this group also includes a certain number ofendangered species, such as the Western Capercaillie, theRed Kite and some forest passerine species, endemic to theCanary Islands, catalogued as ‘Endangered’.

While the overall situation is unfavourable, experience showsthat when strong conservation decisions have been taken forone species, encouraging results have been obtained. A goodexample is the Spanish Imperial Eagle. In this case, anational strategy has been adopted as well as recovery plansin a large part of its geographical range; public authorities andNGOs have invested considerable resources in itsconservation.This bird of prey has nearly doubled its breedingpopulation in the last ten years: from 131 pairs in 1998 to 253in 2009.

Status of Important Bird AreasOne of the reasons for the downward trend in many speciesin Spain is the continuous degradation of the most importantareas for their conservation. In recent years more land hasbeen protected, but still not enough, and the effectiveness ofthis protection is yet to be seen.

Only 28% of the most important areas for bird conservation(IBAs) are fully protected by some form of legal designation.In 19% of cases, the majority of the IBA is protected, so itcan be said that only half of them are declared as SPA in theway that they should be. Furthermore, 22% are only partiallyprotected and 23% have less than 10% of their areaprotected.

The conservation status of the IBAs, and thus that of the SPAs,

is extremely worrying. The review of the condition of theseareas in Spain by SEO/BirdLife, carried out between 2008 and2010, concludes that 42% of them are in unfavourablecondition and in 32% of the cases the trend is unfavourable,while just 8% are well protected.

The main reasons for this continuous degradation are humandisturbance, road building, overexploitation of resources,agricultural intensification, urban development andinfrastructures related to energy industries and miningextraction.

Number of species included in some of the threatened categories inthe different habitat types examined.

Despite the fact that close to 50% of the IBAshave been protected as SPAs, hardly any ofthem have their obligatiory Management Planand the regional governments invest very littlein their conservation.

Surface area of IBAs, SPAs and overlaps between the two, in eachAutonomous Community

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Of the 104 Important Bird Areas which werereviewed in 2008, in 42% of cases it has beendiscovered that their conservation status isalready unfavourable and a further 32% are indecline, whilst only 8% are considered to bein favourable condition.

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Between 2004 and 2008, through an EU LIFE project and withsupport from the Ministry of Environment and Rural and MarineAffairs, SEO/BirdLife developed an innovative methodology toidentify important areas for seabird conservation.The resultsconstitute the first inventory of marine IBAs published in Spain.

It is a ground-breaking project with a broad scope, the objectivesof which were the development of a reference methodologyfor the identification of such areas in other parts of the worldand the production of an exhaustive inventory of of marine IBAswhich would serve as guide for the designation of the Natura2000 network in the Spanish marine environment.

The project has made it possible to identify 42 marine IBAsthrough the use of novel techniques and greater logisticalfacilities for the study of birds at sea; both for the gathering ofinformation (censuses at sea, remote sensing) and for itsanalysis (cartographic interpretation through geographicinformation systems, habitat models, etc.)

These 42 areas are scattered throughout Spanish waters: tenaround the Canary Islands; eight in the north-west mainland(Cantabrian Sea-Galicia), eight in the Atlantic-Mediterraneantransitional zone (between the Sea of Alborán and the Gulf ofCádiz) and 16 in the Mediterranean (eight around the BalearicIslands and eight along the mainland continental shelf andcontinental slope).The peculiarities of each region (physical andbiotic characteristics and seabird commmunities), have had astrong influence in the type of IBA identified.

Seabirds are increasingly threatened, and at a faster pace thanany other group of birds in recent decades.The causes are thegrowing intensity and diversity of the threats they face, both onland and at sea: predation by introduced exotic species, habitatdegradation and destruction, human disturbance, fisheries(accidental capture), maritime traffic, tourism, wind turbines,construction on the coast, etc. In principle, all human activitiesat sea could represent a certain degree of threat for the 27species that met the criteria to identify these 42 marine IBAs.

The types of threats in the marine environment arehighly varied and affect birds during the reproductiveperiods, in the migration, in the breeding areas, inareas of concentration, etc.

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ThreatsThe most comprehensive information on threats posed tobirds is compiled in the Red Book. For each one of the species,the experts indicate the main threats and the importance theyhave for each of the species assessed.Thanks to this work,wenow know that destruction or loss of habitat, humandisturbance, agricultural abandonment or intensification,competition and predation by introduced species andunsustainable or illegal hunting affect over half of thethreatened species in Spain. Furthermore, linear infrastructure(basically power lines and roads) affects more than 30% ofspecies.

There are three basic tools that should reduce these threatsto birds: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) recoveryplans for threatened species and 3) protected areamanagement plans.The first tool, despite its availability, is notimplemented properly; in fact in practice it is totally inoperable.Only profound legal reform and enhanced awareness on thepart of the public authorities will bring about a change in thissituation. As for the species recovery and site managementplans, despite their being legal obligations, they have in mostcases not been approved.However, the Natural Heritage Law,passed in December 2007, establishes a deadline ofDecember 2010 for the adoption of all of these plans.

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Although there has been very limited progress in eliminatingthese threats over the last ten years, it is worth mentioning theRoyal Decree passed in 2008 which requires the modification

of dangerous power lines to significantly reduce bird mortalityby electrocution.

Threats in IBAs

Threats to birds included in the Red Book.

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Anser fabalisAythya nyrocaBotaurus stellarisCalandrella rufescens rufescensChlidonias niger*Fringilla teydea polatzeki

Fulica cristataLanius minorMarmaronetta angustirostrisNeophron percnopterus majorensisNumenius tenuirostrisPandion haliaetus

Puffinus mauretanicusTadorna ferrugineaTurnix sylvaticaUria aalge

Critically Endangered

Aquila adalbertiBucanetes githagineus amantumBulweria bulweriiBurhinus oedicnemus distinctusBurhinus oedicnemus insularumCalandrella rufescens polatzekiCalonectris diomedea diomedeaCercotrichas galactotesCharadrius morinellusChersophilus dupontiChlamydotis undulata fuertaventuraeColumba junoniaeCorvus corax canariensis

Cursorius cursorCyanistes caeruleus degenerCyanistes caeruleus ombriosusCyanistes caeruleus palmensisEmberiza schoeniclus lusitanicaEmberiza schoeniclus witherbyiFalco pelegrinoidesFringilla coelebs ombriosaFringilla coelebs palmaeGallinago gallinagoGypaetus barbatusHieraaetus fasciatusMilvus milvus

Numenius arquataOceanodroma castroOxyura leucocephalaPhalacrocorax aristotelis aristotelisPuffinus assimilisPuffinus puffinusPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax barbarusSaxicola dacotiaeTetrao urogallusTetrao urogallusTyto alba gracilirostris

Endangered

Accipiter nisus grantiAcrocephalus melanopogonAcrocephalus paludicolaAegypius monachusAnas acutaAnas creccaAnas querquedulaApus cafferCalandrella brachydactylaCalonectris diomedea borealisCharadrius alexandrinusChlidonias hybridaCiconia nigraCircus cyaneus*Circus pygargusCoracias garrulusCorvus frugilegus

Dendrocopos leucotosDendrocopos major canariensisDendrocopos major thanneriEmberiza schoeniclus schoeniclusFalco naumanniFalco peregrinus*Falco tinnunculus dacotiaeFringilla teydea teydeaGavia immerGlareola pratincolaHydrobates pelagicusLagopus mutaLarus audouiniiLarus genei **Limosa limosaNeophron percnopterus*Netta rufina

Otis tardaPelagodroma marina hypoleucaPerdix perdixPhalacrocorax aristotelis desmarestiiPhoenicurus phoenicurusPlatalea leucorodiaPlegadis falcinellusPterocles alchataPterocles orientalisRissa tridactylaSterna albifrons*Sterna niloticaSterna sandvicensis*Streptopelia turturTetrax tetraxTringa totanus

Vulnerable

The declines recorded in many small birds, which, up to now, had no such information available, could extend the list of speciesin unfavourable conservation status by dozens.

Saxicola rubetra

Steep Decline (1998-2009)

Alauda arvensisAthene noctuaCarduelis cannabinaCarduelis carduelisCorvus monedulaCoturnix coturnixEmberiza calandraEmberiza cirlusEmberiza citrinellaFalco subbuteoGalerida cristata

Gallinula chloropusHirundo rusticaLanius meridionalisLanius senatorMelanocorypha calandraMilvus milvusMonticola solitariusMotacilla albaOenanthe leucuraPasser domesticusPasser montanus

Picus viridisPodiceps cristatusPyrrhula pyrrhulaRemiz pendulinusSaxicola torquatusSerinus serinusSylvia communisSylvia undataTachybaptus ruficollis

Moderate Decline (1998-2009

* New species in this category** According to the revision of 2006, the species would leave this category

BIRDS IN FARMLAND HABITATS

Modern farming methods are the cause of conservation problemsfor many birds in Spain.

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an's use of the land for arable and livestock farmingis so long-established and it has been so closelyassociated with the distribution of the human

population in Europe, that it is difficult to find a region, howeversmall or remote, where this activity has never been developed.Even today, taking into account the seasonally grazed areas,almost 80% of the Spanish land surface has some kind ofagricultural use, conditioning the characteristics of the habitat.However, the degree and type of agricultural use is highlyvariable and the dividing line between agricultural and naturalis, in many cases, almost imperceptible.

In recent decades, technological advances, changes in socialexpectations, and, especially, the Common Agricultural Policy(CAP) have determined the development of agriculturalactivity in two opposite ways: intensification, in the mostproductive areas or those with the best transport links, andabandonment, in extensive, less fertile or more isolated areas.

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The agricultural area of Spain is the largestwith reference to other types of habitats.Currently about 25 million hectares areclassified as arable farmland (50% of the landsurface), concentrated in the two centralplateaux, the Levante area (Eastern Spain,Valencia and Murcia) and the valleys of thelarge rivers. The rest is dominated bygrassland or extensive livestock rearing.

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These farming systems are a source of serious conservationproblems, something especially alarming considering that, in thecase of birds, nearly 60% of species regarded as of priorityconservation concern in Europe depend partially or totally onthese habitats.The main threat is continuing land use change,due to changes in crop and livestock management towardsmore productive systems, or the abandonment of farmland infavour of more profitable activities or industrialisation. Inparticular, agricultural intensification and the consequenthomogeneisation of the landscape, the misuse of agrochemicals,the introduction of machinery, etc. have simplified the habitatand in consequence, the bird communities.

The list of species associated with this environment is long andhighly variable depending on the three most widespread farmlandtypes: hay pastures bordered by trees and bushes, frequent in thenorth; areas of cereal crops, prevailing in the central plateaux,Aragon and a large parte of Andalusia; and arboreal agriculturalenvironments (olive groves in Andalusia and fruit and nutorchards on the Mediterranean coast and in Aragon). Thedifferent structure and characteristics of these environments alsodetermine the very different bird communities.

In the sampling of the SACRE monitoring programme, fromthe 146 species of birds recorded by this census system, 46have been detected with a high frequency of occurrence infarmland habitats. Only in one case has a sharp decline beenregistered: the Whinchat, associated with farmland in the northof Spain and which had not shown such a marked decline inprevious years, although a moderate decrease had been notedsince 2005.

Nevertheless, of the 31 species of common birds that currentlyshow a moderate decline, 17 of them are linked to farmland;i.e., more than 50% of the most abundant birds withconservation problems have the common denominator ofleading their life cycle in this environment, which clearly showsthe relevant role of agricultural management. Birds like theSkylark, the Calandra Lark, the Zitting Cisticola, the PiedWagtail, the Black-eared Wheatear, the Goldfinch, theCommon Quail, the Yellowhammer, the Crested Lark, the TreeSparrow and the Corn Bunting, etc. are very abundant, so asmall decrease in their populations means the loss of manythousands of birds from our fields.

Half of the common bird species which shownegative population trends are particularlyassociated with farmland habitats.

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This decline within farmland habitats has been detected overmany years, but currently the problem may be accelerating:the average annual decrease between the first year of theprogramme and 2008 was -0.6%, while in 2009 it reached -1.1%.The species affected are those with large populations.The decrease implies the loss of thousands of specimens inone of the most human-manipulated environments.

When considering the different types of farmland, the drylandsystems show the greatest decline, followed by northernfarmland, while the orchards and olive groves show a muchlower decrease.

The latest available results for the different bird groups inEurope correspond to the period 1980-2006, including datafor Spain since 1996.The change at a European level for birdsassociated with farmland environments is -48%, which indicatesa common point where all conservation organisations shouldfocus their efforts: the Common Agricultural Policy.

Farmland birds -1.1 Moderate declineBirds associated with cereal systems -1.4 Moderate declineBirds associated with northern farmland -1.3 Moderate declineBirds associated with orchards and olive groves -0.7 Moderate decline

Group Average change (%) Trend

Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with different farmland habitats, 1998-2009.

Changes in populations of common birds associated with differentfarmland habitats, 1998-2009.

Amongst all the changes arising fromagricultural intensification, the disappearanceof field boundaries and patches of naturalvegetation is one of those with the greatestdirect impact on biodiversity.

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Farmland birds in Spain as a whole also show a general declinethroughout the country, although by regions, the eastern

region shows some stability in the cereal systems and thecentral region in the orchards and olive groves.

By species, the ones associated with dryland systems,mainly cereals,have shown a continued decline over the last few years (Common

Quail,Corn Bunting,Crested Lark,Calandra Lark and Skylark) and, ingeneral terms, all those which are frequent in these kinds of crops.

North Birds associated with northern farmland -1.5 Moderate declineCentre Birds associated with cereal systems -1.8 Moderate declineCentre Birds associated with orchards & olive groves -0.6 Moderate declineEast Birds of cereal systems 0.1 StableEast Birds associated with orchards & olive groves -1.0 Moderate declineSouth Birds of cereal systems -1.5 Moderate declineSouth Birds associated with orchards & olive groves -1.7 Moderate decline

Region Groups Average change (%) Trend

Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with different farmland habitats, by regions, 1998-2009.

In the SACRE programme carried out bySEO/BirdLife, it has been shown that 46common bird species spend most of their lifecycle linked to farmland habitats. Of these, ahigh percentage are in decline (39%), whileonly a few show a positive trend.

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Alauda arvensis -1.3 -3.3 -2.3 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Alectoris rufa 0.3 -1.2 -0.4 StableAnthus campestris 3.3 -2.1 0.6 StableAthene noctua -1.1 -5.3 -3.2 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Burhinus oedicnemus 2.2 -1.4 0.4 StableCalandrella brachydactyla 1.8 -2.7 -0.4 StableCarduelis cannabina -0.2 -2.1 -1.1 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Carduelis carduelis -0.8 -2.4 -1.6 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Carduelis chloris 3.0 1.4 2.2 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Ciconia ciconia 5.5 2.6 4.1 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Circus cyaneus 7.4 -1.2 3.1 UncertainCircus pygargus 2.6 -0.3 1.1 StableCisticola juncidis 0.4 -2.1 -0.8 StableCoracias garrulus 14.7 -1.7 6.5 UncertainCorvus monedula -3.0 -6.3 -4.7 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Coturnix coturnix -1.9 -4.1 -3.0 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Emberiza calandra -0.3 -1.8 -1.1 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Emberiza cirlus -0.4 -3.7 -2.1 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Emberiza citrinella -2.3 -6.8 -4.6 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Emberiza hortulana 3.3 -2.9 0.2 StableFalco naumanni 13.8 7.1 10.5 Strong increase (p<0.01) **Falco tinnunculus 0.4 -2.2 -0.9 StableGalerida cristata -0.2 -1.7 -0.9 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Hirundo daurica 3.6 -0.9 1.4 StableHirundo rustica -0.7 -2.2 -1.5 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Lanius collurio 1.4 -2.9 -0.7 StableLanius senator -0.2 -2.9 -1.5 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Melanocorypha calandra -2.7 -5.1 -3.9 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Merops apiaster 1.4 -0.9 0.2 StableMotacilla alba -2.8 -5.3 -4.0 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Motacilla flava 3.1 -0.6 1.3 StableOenanthe hispanica 0.0 -2.9 -1.4 StableOtis tarda 10.7 4.3 7.5 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Passer hispaniolensis 16.0 -8.8 3.6 UncertainPasser montanus -1.9 -5.1 -3.5 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Petronia petronia 2.4 -0.8 0.8 StablePica pica 0.2 -1.2 -0.5 StablePterocles alchata 14.3 6.5 10.4 Strong increase (p<0.01) **Pterocles orientalis 0.7 -7.3 -3.3 UncertainSaxicola rubetra -7.8 -24.1 -16.0 Steep decline (p<0.01) **Saxicola torquatus -3.7 -5.5 -4.6 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Serinus serinus -1.6 -2.8 -2.2 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Streptopelia turtur 0.4 -1.8 -0.7 StableSturnus unicolor 2.2 0.6 1.4 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Tetrax tetrax 0.5 -3.3 -1.4 StableUpupa epops 0.7 -1.0 -0.2 Stable

Species Maximum Minimum Average change (%) Trend

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Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with farmland habitats, 1998-2009

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In recent years, censuses of less common birds have beencarried out and, in general terms, their conservation status isunfavourable, due to small population size or negativepopulation trends.

The Lesser Grey Shrike is in an absolutely critical situation,although it is at the limit of its range and its population has neverbeen large (35-40 pairs during the 1980s; in 2009 there were nomore than four pairs left). Others, like the Canary Islandsubspecies of Common Raven and Barn Owl are stillclassified as ‘Endangered’,with new censuses awaited to confirmtheir current conservation status. In 2004 SEO/BirdLife carriedout the first national census of the Rufous-tailed ScrubRobin and a larger population than expected was found,although with a wide margin of error (200,000-500,000individuals). Since then, however, in areas where the species hasbeen continuously monitored for some years, the drop innumbers is close to 50%, which means that this species isclassified as ‘Endangered’.

The European Union’s European Strategy forSustainable Development, revised in 2006from the Gothenburg 2001 original, aims tocreate an environment where resources aremanaged and used efficiently. The FarmlandBird Index, puts the success of this Strategy insome doubt.

Lesser Grey ShrikeCommon Raven (ssp. canariensis)Barn Owl (ssp. gracilirostris)Rufous-tailed Scrub RobinLittle BustardGreat BustardPin-tailed SandgrouseMontagu's HarrierEuropean RollerShort-toed LarkCommon Kestrel (ssp. dacotiae)Rook

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The remaining species, more characteristic of steppeenvironments, are also in a fragile state of conservation and allare classified in the ‘Vulnerable’ category, with very smallpopulations which are in decline.The national censuses carriedout in recent years have demonstrated the fall in these species'numbers. For example, the census of the Little Bustardestablished a figure of 41,500-86,000 males (among 71,000-150,000 individuals), which confirms its decline in recentdecades. In addition, an important decline in habitat quality hasbeen detected in a large part of the geographical range of theGreat Bustard. Although the population is apparentlynumerous (around 24,000 individuals) and the main sub-populations seem to maintain their healthy state, it is stillconsidered to be in a sensitive state of conservation.

The latest censuses have laid the foundations for understandingbetter some birds for which we had no records of populationtrends or data which might indicate, with some degree ofaccuracy, their population size. In the 2005 national census ofthe Black-bellied Sandgrouse, a population estimate of7,700-13,000 individuals was obtained, significantly lower thanpreviously estimates.The 2006 census of Montagu's Harrierestablished a population size of 6,000-7,300 pairs, but its trendsand conservation problems in its nesting areas suggest it shouldbe included in the ‘Vulnerable’ category.

There is still not enough information available to assess thepopulations of some species and although they occupy a largearea and their population size is assumed to be large, theiractual numbers and population trends are completelyunknown. Efforts must be made to focus on these species infuture work: the Stone-curlew, the European Roller and theShort-toed Lark.

Furthermore, the two most frequent nocturnal birds of prey inthese environments, the Little Owl and the Barn Owl, showuncertain trends according to the nocturnal bird monitoringprogramme, ‘NOCTUA’.This shows considerable increases insome seasons, followed almost immediately by significantdeclines; however, the disappearance of these two species overlarge areas has been registered.

At the European level, the value of birds asa measure of our quality of life is alsorecognised. Therefore, the European UnionStatistics Agency (Eurostat) has included the"Farmland Birds Index", among its structuralindicators. Since 2007 this index is alsoused to measure the sustainability ofagricultural and rural development policy.

Athene noctua 4.1 -5.1 -0.5 UncertainTyto alba 17.3 -5.7 5.8 Uncertain


Average annual changes and population trends of common nocturnal birds associated with farmland habitats, 2004-2009.

Coracias garrulus

Circus pygargus

Pterocles orientalis

BIRDS IN STEPPE HABITATS

This is the most neglected habitat in terms of conservation measures,andalmost all bird species associated with it suffer conservation problems.

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lthough, strictly speaking, there are no pure ororiginal steppes in Spain, there are certain areas, ingeneral arid or semiarid, dominated by creeping

vegetation with frequent bare and stony ground, that can beincluded in this habitat type.These areas have tradicionally onlybeen used for low intensity livestock grazing, now in evidentdecline, but which, in many cases, contributes to themaintenance of the habitat. It includes salt flats, areas withthyme bushes, lavender and dry tussock grass, and semi-desertareas usually regarded as of little economic value, butpossessing a unique ecological wealth and with bird specieswhich find almost their only habitat here.

The most representative areas are located in the Ebro Rivervalley, the high, dry plains of the northern plateau, wide areasin the south-east of the Peninsula, from Alicante to Almeriaand Granada, in the south of Extremadura and last but notleast, the Canary Island steppe habitats.

Being small areas, the bird populations most directly associatedwith this environment are similarly small, so they are notadequately detected by long-term monitoring systems; thus,specific censuses are needed to determine their populationsize, trends and conservation status. As a result, the availableinformation is incomplete for some species such as the Stone-curlew, the Lesser Short-toed Lark, the Berthelot's Pipit, theTawny Pipit, the Spectacled Warbler or the Trumpeter Finch.

Steppe habitats are under serious pressure. Because of theirlow economic returns, they have been left to marginal uses,such as rubbish dumps, stone and aggregate extraction, orreforestation, or else sacrificed in all kinds of infrastructureprojects such as roads, railways or, more recently, renewableenergy facilities.These are the reasons for the disappearance oflarge expanses of habitat for some highly endangered species,such as the Dupont's Lark and the Houbara Bustard.

Most of the species with specific censuses have in commontheir classification in one of the threatened categories.A

Small Buttonquail Lesser Short-toed Lark (ssp. rufescens)Dupont's LarkHoubara bustardCream-coloured CourserLesser Short-toed Lark (ssp. polatzekí).Stone-curlew (subsp. distinctus)Trumpeter Finch (subsp. amantum)Pin-tailed SandgrouseHen HarrierLesser Kestrel

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In recent years there has not been any record of the SmallButtonquail, so it can be considered ‘Extinct’ and as such anurgent recovery effort is needed.

The Canary Island subspecies of Lesser Short-toed Lark(Calandrella rufescens rufescens) is almost in the same situation.Its population has fallen by 90% in recent decades and its areaof distribution by 70%. Currently it is maintained almost entirelyby birds in captivity, but with one or two pairs in the wild in thenorth of Tenerife.

The latest censuses of Dupont's Lark estimate that thereare between 3,500-4,200 males, although the female-male ratiois still not known with sufficient accuracy to able to assess itstotal population size. It has a very restricted and fragmentedpopulation, occupying a limited area.A sharp decline has beenconfirmed in some areas, while in others the species hasdisappeared, especially due to land use change.The continuingloss of habitat prevents these sub-populations from recoveringand reconnecting, a situation that must be reversed if itsconservation in Spain is to be ensured.

Two species, only found in the Canary Islands, have moreinformation available. The population of the Houbarabustard is estimated to number between 778-1,282individuals. It is listed as ‘Endangered’ and, despite improvingslightly, still faces two severe conservation problems: thedestruction and degradation of its priority areas and the high

mortality rate caused by collisions with power lines. If thesethreats remain in the future, along with others (roadkill,disturbance, overgrazing, predation, etc...) this risk of extinctioncould not only become consolidated but could even increase.In the early 1990s, the census of the Cream-colouredCourser population returned a total of around 2,000individuals on three islands: Fuerteventura (around 1,700 birds),Lanzarote (some 300) and La Graciosa (less than tenindividuals). Some 84% of the population is concentrated in 531km2, where it shares its territory with the Houbara Bustard.

In 2005 the Spanish population of the Pin-tailed Sandgrousenumbered 8,500-11,500 individuals, less than in previous estimates.Both its small population size and its downward trend, require areconsideration of its status, at the European level, to ‘Vulnerable’.In the same way, the regional governments should reclassify it andconsider it as a priority species for conservation efforts.

The only common bird of prey in steppe habitats is the HenHarrier, also frequent in the scrub habitats of Galicia andAsturias. Although there were previous population estimatesavailable, it was not censused at national level until 2006, when900-1,300 breeding pairs were recorded. The regions ofCastilla y Leon (490-620 pairs) and the Basque Country (150-210) have the greatest responsibility for its conservation.Although its population seems stable, it is listed as ‘Vulnerable’because of its small population size and its dependency on veryunstable ecological systems.

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BIRDS IN SCRUB HABITATS

The Dartford Warbler and the Southern Grey Shrike are highlighted asthe most endangered species of this environment.

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In Spain, the patches of scrubland habitat vary in theirstructure depending on their altitude. Above the treeline,there are both areas of thorny bushes (leguminous plants

like gorse) and other non-thorny scrub (broom, heather, etc.).The sub-montane zone is usually formed by tall and medium-sized bushes (e.g. broom and rock rose), which create a very

distinctive type of habitat. At mid and low altitudes there arealso large expanses of scrub with highly varied vegetationdepending on the substrate, humidity, etc. Formations ofjuniper, gorse, kermes oak, broom and rock rose, are allimportant, extending in many cases down to sea level.

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This kind of habitat is frequent across the wholeof the Peninsula and the Balearic and CanaryIslands, and, although it is better representedin the major mountain systems, it is also asignificant part of the Mediterranean scrub inflatter areas.

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The censuses conducted in recent years for some less commonspecies reveal the poor conservation status of some of them.TheEurasian Curlew is listed as ‘Endangered’, although in Spain itis at the limit of its range; its small population in Galicia coulddisappear through infrastructure development in its only knowncurrent breeding location.The Canary Islands Stonechat isclassified as ‘Endangered’, although the latest estimated populationis far superior to previous ones, possibly due to the change incensus and analysis methods used for this species.

For other taxa, such as the Grey Partridge, there is noupdated information, so a specific census - never beforeconducted in Spain - is urgently needed.The only estimates,based on very limited censuses, indicate a population of 2,000-6,000 individuals. Nevertheless, local monitoring has confirmeda severe decline in recent decades as a result of land usechange and the fragmentation of its habitat.

In SEO/BirdLife's SACRE programme, ten speciestypical of this habitat have been recorded. Noneof them showed any signs of a strong increase ordecline and their overall trend is stable. However,two species, the Southern Grey Shrike and theDartford Warbler, show a negative trend, not onlyat national level, but also in the four main regionsin which the country has been divided. Bothspecies have shown this trend for several yearsand, although the decline is moderate (-6.1% and-4.8%), their conservation status should beexamined.

Emberiza cia 1.8 -1.7 0.1 StableGalerida theklae 5.1 0.9 3.0 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Hippolais polyglotta 3.7 1.1 2.4 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Lanius meridionalis -4.0 -8.2 -6.1 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Monticola saxatilis 1.1 -10.2 -4.6 UncertainPrunella modularis 1.0 -2.8 -0.9 StableSylvia conspicillata 2.4 -8.3 -3.0 UncertainSylvia hortensis 9.9 2.7 6.3 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Sylvia melanocephala 0.8 -1.2 -0.2 StableSylvia undata -2.9 -6.7 -4.8 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **


North 1,3 Moderate increaseCentre -0,1 StableEast 0,4 StableSouth 0,8 Moderate increase

Region Average change (%) Trend

Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with scrub habitats, 1998-2009.

According to the regions established, theanalyses for the group of birds associatedwith scrub habitats show stable or positivetrends.

Changes in populations of common birds associated with scrubhabitats, 1998-2009.

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BIRDS IN FOREST AND WOODLAND HABITATS

Although in general the conservation status of forest and woodland birdsis better than that in other habitats, many species are still threatened.

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he diversity of Spain's forests is a true reflection of itsgeographical location and the range of differentclimates, geology and soils.Three kinds of forest can be

identified, with very different forest structure and speciescomposition, corresponding to the three major biogeographicregions: the Atlantic ‘Eurosiberian’ region in the north; theMediterranean, occupying the southern two thirds of the IberianPeninsula; and the Macaronesian region in the Canary Islands.

Two forest types, almost exclusive to Spain and Portugal withinthe European Union, should be highlighted: the traditionalagroforestry system called ‘dehesa’ (livestock pasture landsdotted with trees) so characteristic of the western and south-western mainland, and the laurel forests on the Canary Islandsand in Cádiz Province.

Although a very large part of the original native forest coverwas lost in the past due to agricultural clearance and loggingfor firewood and timber, very extensive forested areas in goodcondition still remain. Most of them are located on the slopesof the Peninsula's mountain ranges and the two archipelagoes.Furthermore, the reforestation carried out by the publicauthorities during the 1960s, 70s and 80s has now maturedsufficiently to host interesting bird populations.

Whilst the forest cover in Spain continues to improve in extentand maturity, its state of conservation is not as good as itshould be.Various threats proliferate such as the opening offorest tracks, the clearing of large stands for livestock use,indiscriminate clearfelling which triggers an important loss ofbiodiversity, forest fires, etc. Likewise, the loss of connectivitybetween these wooded areas increases the risks for the mostendangered species.

The birds associated with forests and woodlands are the onlygroup which in general seem to be in good conservationstatus, although some species suffer major problems.Taken asa whole, the birds typical of these environments have shownan average annual increase of around 2.2%. However, recenttrends are not as positive as in earlier years, which may meanbird numbers are approaching stability or even a futuredecline. Furthermore, not all forest and woodland speciesshow this same trend, so there is a need to be vigilant andconfirm whether this is a temporary occurrence or whetherresources for conservation can really be dedicated to otherpriorities.

The birds exclusively associated with the forests of the‘Eurosiberian’ region in the north of Spain, (Common Bulfinch,Song Thrush, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest and Firecrest, etc.)show a very slight increase.The increase is not very notableeither in the case of the specialist birds of the Mediterraneanforest (Azure-winged Magpie, Mistle Thrush or Bonelli's

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According to the latest national inventory, the surfacearea covered by forest in Spain is around 15 millionhectares, 29% of the land surface.

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Warbler).The more generalist birds (Common Chaffinch, CoalTit, Blue Tit, etc.) are responsible for the most of the overallpositive trend seen in this group and this may be due to theiruse of the small woodland patches, forest ‘islands’ in mosaics

mixed with other habitats. Both the modest progress ofspecialist birds in pure forests and the stronger progress of themore generalist birds are good signs, so the task of improvingthe state of conservation of the large forests must continue.

Common forest birds 2.2 Moderate increaseAtlantic forest birds 0.4 Moderate increaseMediterranean forest birds 1.0 Moderate increase

Group Average change (%) Trend

Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with forest and woodland habitats, 1998-2009.

By region, forest birds also show an overall increase in thewhole country, although in the South, this trend seems to bemore marked. The Northern region, the most extensiveforested area, shows the slowest rate of progress, although itstill remains positive.

North Atlantic forest birds 0.3 Moderate increaseCentre Mediterranean forest birds 1.3 Moderate increaseEast Mediterranean forest birds 1.4 Moderate increaseSouth Mediterranean forest birds 1.7 Moderate increase

Region Group Average change (%) Trend

Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with forest and woodland habitats, by regions, 1998-2009.

Out of the 50 most common species in ourforests, 52% of them show a moderatepopulation increase and 24% of them arestable. However, in six of them a moderatedecline has been detected.

Changes in populations of common birds associated with different forestand woodland habitats, 1998-2009

Accipiter gentilis 17.3 -3.4 6.9 UncertainAccipiter nisus 10.0 -1.6 4.2 UncertainAegithalos caudatus 0.8 -2.7 -1.0 StableAegypius monachus 17.4 2.1 9.7 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Anthus trivialis 4.8 0.4 2.6 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Buteo buteo 1.4 -1.5 0.0 StableCerthia brachydactyla 3.4 0.4 1.9 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Circaetus gallicus 5.5 -1.7 1.9 UncertainCoccothraustes coccothraustes 11.1 -1.5 4.8 UncertainColumba palumbus 2.8 1.1 2.0 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Corvus corax 2.4 -1.3 0.6 StableCorvus corone 0.8 -1.0 -0.1 StableCyanistes caeruleus 3.6 1.7 2.6 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Cyanopica cyanus 6.8 3.0 4.9 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Dendrocopos major 6.2 3.0 4.6 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Dendrocopos minor 26.8 2.9 14.9 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Erithacus rubecula 2.1 0.3 1.2 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Falco subbuteo -4.3 -15.2 -9.7 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Ficedula hypoleuca 3.8 -10.9 -3.5 UncertainFringilla coelebs 4.4 3.0 3.7 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Garrulus glandarius 3.8 1.1 2.4 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Hieraaetus pennatus 8.3 2.0 5.2 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Jynx torquilla 2.2 -4.2 -1.0 StableLophophanes cristatus 1.8 -2.2 -0.2 StableLoxia curvirostra 10.9 2.6 6.8 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Lullula arborea 2.0 -0.3 0.8 StableLuscinia megarhynchos 3.1 1.7 2.4 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Milvus migrans 4.5 1.1 2.8 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Milvus milvus -1.2 -6.6 -3.9 Declive moderado (p<0.01) **Muscicapa striata 1.9 -3.8 -0.9 StableOriolus oriolus 5.5 3.6 4.6 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Parus major 2.1 0.8 1.4 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Periparus ater 3.4 0.8 2.1 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Phasianus colchicus 14.3 1.9 8.1 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Phoenicurus phoenicurus 10.4 0.7 5.6 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Phylloscopus bonelli 6.1 3.2 4.7 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Picus viridis -0.9 -3.0 -2.0 Moderate decline (p<0.01) **Pyrrhula pyrrhula -0.9 -7.2 -4.0 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Regulus ignicapilla 2.8 -0.9 1.0 StableRegulus regulus 4.6 -8.8 -2.1 UncertainSitta europaea 6.5 2.2 4.4 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Sylvia atricapilla 5.1 3.1 4.1 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Sylvia borin 1.2 -3.7 -1.2 StableSylvia cantillans 5.4 1.5 3.5 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Sylvia communis -0.3 -4.0 -2.2 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Troglodytes troglodytes 1.8 0.0 0.9 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Turdus merula 1.3 0.2 0.7 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Turdus philomelos 3.2 -0.3 1.5 StableTurdus viscivorus 1.5 -2.4 -0.4 Stable


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Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with forest and woodland habitats, 1998-2009.

33CONSERVATION STATUS OF BIRD IN SPAIN IN 2010

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As well as the overall indicator provided by common birds,detailed information also exists on particular species. Some of

these taxa reflect serious problems that could even lead totheir extinction in a few years.

Blue Chaffinch (ssp. polatzeki) Spanish Imperial EagleRed KiteLaurel PigeonCapercaillie (ssp. cantabricus & aquitanicus)Blue tit (ssp. depener, palmensis & ombriosus)Common Chaffinch (ssp. palmae & ombriosa)Black VultureBlack StorkWhite-backed WoodpeckerBlue Chaffinch (ssp. teydea)Common Kestrel (ssp. dacotiae)Great Spotted Woodpecker (ssp. thaneri & canariensis)

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The Canary Island subspecies of the Blue Chaffinch (Fringillateydea polatzeki) is the most endangered species of this groupof habitats (‘Critically Endangered’). Its population has beenreduced to a few individuals, found in small patches ofwoodland and around the original forest, after the 2007 fire.Moreover, the two Canary Island subspecies of CommonChaffinch, F. coelebs palmae and F. c. ombriosa, remain listed as‘Endangered’, since the whole population is found in one singlelocation.The same is true for F. t. teydea, which continues in its‘Vulnerable’ state.

There is more detailed information available for the SpanishImperial Eagle than in the previous case and there arecurrently 253 breeding pairs.

The Spanish Imperial Eagle population isslowly recovering, but we cannot forget thatthis increase is the result of the majorinvestment made annually for this species.These measures should not be abandonedsince, even today, the number of specimens isstill very low and the species is classified as‘Endangered’.

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The Red Kite has also been the object of several nationalcensuses and its population size and decline are welldocumented. In 2004 there was a wintering population of35,523-36,233 individuals, whilst in 1994, the overwinteringestimate was 66,235-72,165, representing a decline of close to50% in 10 years.The reduction among the breeding populationis also large: the 3,333-4,054 pairs calculated in 1994, droppedto 2,167 in 2004, justifying the species' listing as ‘Endangered’.

For the Black Vulture there are several approximatepopulation estimates and some full censuses. In the mostrecent, in 2006, 35 colonies and 5 isolated pairs were located,together amounting to 1,845 pairs; after corrections for censusdates and the coverage of certain colonies, the population wasfinally estimated at 2,442 pairs. Thus, its progress in recentdecades has been very positive and seems to have beenmaintained or even accelerated over the last few years.

New threats have been identified that couldalter this trend. In some autonomouscommunities, measures of breedingsuccess have fallen in recent years and,likewise, the deaths by poisoning have notstopped. These aspects could limit thegrowth of the population or trigger anegative trend in a few years time. Currentlythe species is included in the ‘NearThreatened’ category.

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The situation with regard to the Black Stork is somewhatworse than the previous cases. In addition to having a scarcepopulation (less than 500 pairs), no specific censuses have beencarried out to determine its general trend. Nevertheless, themonitoring studies carried out in some regions, such as Castillay Leon and Madrid, do show a slight decline, the reason for its‘Vulnerable’ classification.

The Capercaillie presents analarming case with respect toforest environments, with twopopulations, very different indistribution and conservationstatus.The Pyrenean populationis estimated at 562-573 males,80% of the 1980s figure.However, the Cantabrianpopulation, apart from beingsmaller, shows a much moreworrying decline, being theonly subspecies consideredglobally threatened by the

Tetraonidae Specialist Group of the International Union for theConservation of Nature. Both subspecies, the Cantabrian andthe Pyrenean, are included in the ‘Endangered’ category in thelatest Red Book of Birds of Spain.

Forest species are also threatened in the Canary archipelago.The Laurel Pigeon is the worst case and it is included in the‘Endangered’ category because of its small population (2,000individuals) and its negative trend, caused by the disappearanceof its warm forest habitat. The Bolle's Pigeon populationnumbers several thousand individuals, but no accurate censusesexist to provide a more precise population estimate. Despitethis, its population has partially recovered in recent years andit is now considered as ‘Near Threatened’.

The first census in Spain for the Black Kite was carried outin 2006 with an estimated result of about 10,300 pairs (9,500-10,900).Two autonomous regions are especially important forits population: Castilla y León (3,700 pairs; 3,300-4,100) andExtremadura (3,000 pairs; 2,700-3,400). As the previousestimates are based on regional surveys and calculations, notcomparable with the latest census, it is not possible to assessits trend. Still, it can be concluded that, in general, its populationis healthier than previously thought and at present the BlackKite should not be listed in any of the most important IUCNthreat categories.

There are numerous forest species without an adequatequantitative baseline from which to calculate their populationtrends. SEO/BirdLife is conducting a census in 2009 and 2010,for forest and woodland birds of prey and this could be thestarting point in obtaining an indicator for a wider group ofspecies found in this environment.

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BIRDS IN ALPINE HABITATS

Currently this is one of the habitats with the least information on bird populations.

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habitat is considered as alpine in Spain when it islocated over 1,500 metres above sea level. Theharsh conditions, extreme winds, low temperatures

and snow cover that lasts for six to eight months a year in

some locations, limit the existence of vegetation to largeareas of grasslands and creeping shrubs, with large expansesof rock and scree and, on occasion, slopes which reach thevertical.

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Livestock grazing is the most widespread land use and, withthe exceptions of ski stations, the alpine zones are relativelyundisturbed.

Only a few bird species are considered as alpine in Spain, buteven so, their population sizes and trends are unknown.Theonly detailed information available regarding their range comesfrom the atlases of breeding birds. Of the eleven speciesassociated with this environment - Water Pipit, Dunnock,Alpine Accentor, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Rufous-tailedRock Thrush, Wallcreeper, Yellow-billed Chough, Snowfinch,Dotterel and Ptarmigan - only the latter two qualify under the

main IUCN threat criteria. The Dotterel is classified as‘Endangered’ and the Ptarmigan as ‘Vulnerable’.

The Ptarmigan population is estimated at between 442 and738 breeding pairs, based on its density and availablefavourable habitat, but a general reduction in its range and acertain population decline has been observed, moreaccentuated in the peripheral populations of its breeding coregroup in the Pyrenees above 1,200 m.The scarce breedingpairs of the Dotterel in the Pyrenees breed more on thenorthern French side of the mountains and in fact, no evidenceof their breeding has been registered in Spain in recent years.

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BIRDS IN ROCK FACE HABITATS

Although most birds of prey associated with this environment showpositive population trends, they are still threatened.

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here are many large expanses of rock face in Spain;by way of example, in the latest census of the GriffonVulture more than 1,500 rock walls were found to be

occupied by this species.

In this case, the threats from human activities are not asimportant as they are in farmland and forest habitats, wherehuman influence is permanent. Conservation problems arisefrom sport and leisure activities which can, however, beregulated in the most important places.

Although the availability of rock faces is high, only a few speciesuse them as the habitat in which to complete most of theirbiological cycle (breeding, feeding, etc.). In general, most of thespecies within this group use these places to build their nestsand to roost, while they usually move to other habitats to feedand spend the rest of their life cycle.When speaking about birdsof steep rock faces, what first come to mind are the birds ofprey and scavenging species: Golden Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle,Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture andLammergeier.Very up-to-date information exists for all of thesespecies and their conservation status is well known. However,there are other small bird species, which do indeed lead almosttheir entire life cycle in this habitat.There is currently a lack of twoessential pieces of information - population size and trend - todetermine the conservation status of these species, such asthe Alpine Swift, Eurasian Crag-Martin, Black Redstart, BlueRock-Thrush and Wallcreeper. Other small birds such as theStock Dove, Yellow-billed and Red-billed Choughs andEurasian Jackdaw also breed in these rock faces, but feed inother habitats. In these cases too, we lack the information ontheir population size and trends required to assess theirconservation status with any precision.

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OspreyEgyptian Vulture (ssp. majorensis)LammergeierEgyptian Vulture (ssp. percnopterus)Bonelli's EagleBarbary Falcon (ssp. pelegrinoides)Red-billed Chough (ssp. barbarus)White-rumped SwiftPeregrine Falcon (ssp. brookei)

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The 2008 Osprey census detected 31 pairs: 15 in theBalearic Islands, 14 in the Canary Islands, 1 in theChafarinas Islands and 1 in Andalusia. In 1950 therewere estimated to be 72-97 pairs, but the speciessuffered a major decline up until 1980. During the1980s and 1990s it made a slight recovery, but sincethen it has remained stable. The Osprey has thesmallest number of pairs of all the threatened birdsof prey in Spain and it is ‘Critically Endangered’.

The 2005 population of Bonelli's Eagle in Spain was733-768 pairs (70-80% of the European population).From the early 1980s to the present it has disappearedfrom 8 provinces and there have been importantdeclines (possibly of about 50%) in another 20. In thenorthern half of the Peninsula and in certain areas in theEast, a much more negative trend has been observedthan in the southern provinces. These declines couldlead to its demise in the northern third of the Peninsulain the short term. It is considered to be in the‘Endangered’ category.

In 2008, the census of the Peregrine Falconrecorded a population of 2,453-2,795 pairs. Manymore pairs have been detected since the first nationalestimate, but this may be due to the difference incensus coverage. There was a recovery of the speciesin the 1980s and 1990s. The population appears tobe quite stable with reference to the 2002 estimate,but there is a clear decline in 13 provinces, whilethere are increases in another 15. It is possible thatbetween the increases and decreases there is acertain amount of stability over the last decade. Thesubspecies brookei should be listed as ‘Vulnerable’and pelegrinoides as ‘Endangered’.

The Golden Eagle, according to the 2008 census,has a population in Spain of 1,554-1,769 pairs. Whencomparing figures from this and the previous census,the result is a strongly positive trend. The detailedregional censuses (interim censuses between the twonational ones) also point to an upward trend, at leastin recent decades, that could be around 20%.However, the small size of its population means thatis is considered as ‘Near Threatened’.

In 2008, the population of the Egyptian Vulture inSpain was 1,452-1,556 pairs. There have beenconfirmed increases in some regions together withdeclines in others. It may be reasonable to assume astable overall population, or even a very slightincrease. The nominal subspecies of EgyptianVulture in Spain (Peninsula and the Balearic Islands)should possibly be reclassified as ‘Vulnerable’, butnew censuses are needed for confirmation. Thesubspecies majorensis classifies as ‘Endangered’ asa result of its small population size.

The Lammergeier is currently confined in Spain tothe Pyrenees, but its range could be extended by areintroduction programme in Andalusia and thereintroduction project in Picos de Europa (NorthernSpain). In 2009, 70 breeding territories werecounted, which signifies a modest average annualincrease of 4,5%. However, the species has not yetfully recovered from the dramatic decline sufferedduring the 20th century, neither does it yet have asufficiently large population, so it remains athreatened species, listed as ‘Endangered’.

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In the 2008 census of the Griffon Vulture, 24,609-25,541 pairs were located (1,560 colonies and 225isolated pairs). The total population is estimated ataround 76,288-79,177 individuals. The trend in the lastdecade clearly reflects positive progress, with 7,272more pairs than in 1999; this suggests a growth of 42%over the last nine years. An expansion in the area itoccupies has also been confirmed. This species is notlisted in any threat category.

The population in Spain of Eleonora's Falcon wasestimated at 957-1,170 pairs in the years 2004-2007,approximately 8% of the European population. Sincethis species was recorded in Spain, a positive trend hasbeen noticed in all regions and also in recent years, withmore comprehensive censuses than previously. Thisincrease could be around 67% at a national level overthe last three decades. Despite its positive trend, thisspecies is included in the ‘Near Threatened’ category

Another species frequently using rock face habitats, although itcan also nest in other environments, is the Eagle Owl. In thiscase there is no specific census, but the NOCTUA programme

and the detailed monitoring of several regional populations,show a major increase, both in its population size and in itsrange.

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BIRDS IN WETLAND HABITATS

After years of working to conserve Spanish wetlands, the situation formost of the associated bird species has not improved and many are stillseriously threatened.

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BIRDS CONSERVATION STATUS IN SPAIN 2010

he biogeographical and climatic variety of Spain makesit one of the most diverse and complex countries inEurope in terms of its aquatic environments.The variety

of wetland types is enormous, from lakes of glacial origin andhigh mountain rivers, through the endorrheic lakes and largerivers of the mainland interior, to the seasonal watercoursesof the Mediterranean and the Canary Island ravines, and saltmarshes, deltas, estuaries, fens and beaches.

There is no up-to-date national information available regardingthe total wetland surface, but according to official figures andin terms of the original surface, in the early 1990s Spain hadalready lost 80% of its floodplains, 69% of its inland lakes and59% of its coastal wetlands.Although there are some examplesof restored natural wetlands, these are isolated cases and havenot slowed down the rate of loss caused by urbandevelopment and 20th century drainage projects. However,historical human intervention has also created new artificialaquatic environments such as reservoirs, ponds, salt-pans, rice-fields, gravel pits, etc., which eventually acquire some biologicalinterest.

These habitats play a key role in the conservation of manyspecies of birds, whether in their periods of reproduction,overwintering or migration, and constitute, in many cases, thegreatest areas of concentration of birds in the Peninsula.

The main threats in these habitats arise from poor watermanagement.The excessive drying out of wetlands or suddenchanges in water levels are incompatible with the conservationof aquatic birds. Furthermore, there are currently several otherproblems which must be addressed, such as sewage orindustrial discharges, pollution from agriculture, urbandevelopment around wetland margins, removal of the naturalvegetation, etc.

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In Spain the censuses of overwintering waterbirds areconducted on about 3,000 wetlands.

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Trends in populations of common birds associated with wetland habitats,1998-2009

The monitoring of common birds in aquatichabitats points to an overall positive trend duringthe period 1998-2009, although with fluctuationsthat seem to be closely tied to water levels ineach period.

The general increase detected for wetland birds is largely dueto population growth of one of the most common birds, theReed Warbler, which, given the size of its population, has a

much stronger influence on the trend of the whole group thanthe other species recorded.The Penduline Tit is one of thecommon species with the largest population decline.

Acrocephalus arundinaceus 1.1 -4.6 -1.8 StableAcrocephalus scirpaceus 6.1 0.9 3.5 Moderate increase (p<0.01) **Alcedo atthis 14.5 -10.9 1.8 UncertainCettia cetti 0.6 -1.4 -0.4 StableCinclus cinclus 5.4 -7.4 -1.0 UncertainMotacilla cinerea 0.3 -5.1 -2.4 UncertainRemiz pendulinus -1.1 -12.2 -6.6 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Riparia riparia 0.1 -9.3 -4.6 Uncertain

Common name Maximum Minimum Average change (%) Trend

Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with wetland habitats, 1998-2009.

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On the other hand, a slight increase or stability has been detectedin the measures of breeding success of small wetland birds.

Changes in productivity index for species associated with reeds (left) and river banks (right) according to the common bird ringingprogramme (‘PASER’), 1998-2008.

The overall increase observed in common wetland birds hasnot been recorded in all regions; a positive change has beennoticed in the southern area and stability in the east andcentre, while decline has been detected in the northernPeninsula.

Among the passerine birds associated with wetlands there aresome scarcer taxa which are not recorded by the annualmonitoring system but whose decline has been very welldocumented. The Moustached Warbler has suffered apopulation decrease of at least 50% and only 1,017 pairsremain, according to the census conducted in 2005. Moreserious is the case of the Reed Bunting, as its population isalso highly fragmented and numbers only 319-431 pairs;moreover, in some localities the decline is over 70%. Bothspecies are listed as ‘Endangered’ in the latest Red Book.

In the Spring of 2007, during the breeding season, a censuswas carried out for all uncommon wetland birds and newinformation for 52 species was obtained. In many cases thiswas the first estimate based on a direct census: Mallard,Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard,Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe and Black-necked Grebe, but for others there was prior information,so their trends can be established.A positive trend has beenobserved in almost all the gulls and terns. Other species havebegun to breed in Spain very recently, such as the GreatCormorant, the Ruddy Shelduck or the Glossy Ibis (whichhas bred in Spain since the 1990s after more than 30 yearsextinct). Other wetland birds with very small populations

and at the edge of their range do not show a definite trend;breeding usually occurs in good conditions of wetlandflooding and in isolated very specific cases (Tufted Duck,Black-Tailed Godwit, etc.).

North -1.3 Moderate decline Centre -0.5 StableEast -0.1 StableSouth 6.9 Moderate increase


Average annual changes and population trends of common birdsassociated with wetland habitats, by regions, 1998-2009.

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Trends in wetland breeding birds in Spain.

Actitis hypoleucos UncertainAlcedo atthis UncertainAnas acuta UncertainAnas clypeata IncreaseAnas crecca UncertainAnas platyrhynchos UncertainAnas querquedula UncertainAnas strepera UncertainAnser anser IncreaseAythya ferina UncertainAythya fuligula UncertainAythya niroca UncertainCharadrius alexandrinus Stable/DeclineCharadrius dubius UncertainChlidonias hybrida StableChlidonias niger DeclineFulica atra UncertainFulica cristata StableGallinula chloropus UncertainHaematopus ostralegus StableHimantopus himantopus UncertainIxobrychus minutus UncertainLarus audouinii IncreaseLarus fuscus IncreaseLarus genei StableLarus marinus IncreaseLarus melanocephalus IncreaseLarus micahellis IncreaseLarus ridibundus IncreaseLimosa limosa UncertainMarmaronetta angustirostris DeclineNetta rufina IncreaseNumenius arquata UncertainOxyura leucocephala StablePhalacrocorax carbo IncreasePhoenicopterus roseus StablePlatalea leucorodia IncreasePlegadis falcinellus IncreasePodiceps cristatus UncertainPodiceps nigricollis UncertainPorphyrio porphyrio DeclineRecurvirostra avosetta IncreaseRissa tridactyla DeclineSterna albifrons UncertainSterna hirundo DeclineSterna nilotica IncreaseSterna sandvicensis IncreaseTachybaptus ruficollis UncertainTadorna ferruginea IncreaseTadorna tadorna IncreaseTringa totanus StableUria aalge Decline

Species Trend

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Amongst the wetland breeding birds, theunfavourable status of the Marbled Teal, theFerruginous Duck, the Ruddy Shelduck, the TaigaBean Goose and the Red-knobbed Coot must behighlighted and it has been confirmed that theyshould be classified as ‘Critically Endangered’. TheWhite-headed Duck, and the Black Tern alsoexperience serious conservation threats and areconsidered as ‘Endangered’.

Outside the breeding season, the country’s wetlands makeSpain a very important region for overwintering and as a keystopping-place on the migration route for significant numbersof aquatic birds.Winter censuses for these species have beencarried out since the 1980s and every year they improve incoverage and quality. The analysis of such censuses for theperiod 1991-2007 shows a stable situation, with an average of1,625,106 wintering individuals (2,202,932 maximum,1,285,308 minimum). Of these, 727,934 are Anatidae andcoots (471,023 minimum and maximum 1,007,310).

In the period 1991-2007, 10 wetlands accounted for 35% ofoverwintering wetland birds, all of them in Ramsar sites, withthe exception of the Sierra Brava Reservoir (Cáceres) and theEl Porcal Gravel Pits (Madrid).

The two overwintering species most notable for their negativetrends are the Common Pochard and the Tufted Duck;in both cases their numbers have fallen in both the long andthe short term.

Trends in common overwintering wetland birds (left) and Common Pochard and Tufted Duck (right); 1991-2007

49BIRDS CONSERVATION STATUS IN SPAIN 2010

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Doñana (Huelva-Sevilla) 168,950 642,964 336.804 14.32 14.32

River Ebro Delta (Tarragona) 97,144 332,951 166.552 7.08 21.41

Albufera of Valencia (Valencia) 38,606 96,486 65.143 2.77 24.18

Sierra Brava Reservoir (Cáceres) 312 101,814 58.613 2.49 26.67

Bay of Cádiz Marshes Natural Park (Cádiz) 10,111 117,742 49.625 2.11 28.78

El Porcal Gravel Pits (Madrid) 573 107,385 41.688 1.77 30.56

Villafáfila Lakes (Zamora) 17,337 48,303 32.067 1.36 31.92

Ría of Arosa (Pontevedra) 7,224 45,566 31.772 1.35 33.27

Aiguamolls de l´Emporda (Girona) 15,265 40,484 27.900 1.19 34.46

El Hondo Natural Park (Alicante) 13,562 41,859 20.983 0.89 35.35

Anas acuta +3.53 (2.39; 4.67)** ? +3.78 (1.08; 6.48)** ?

Anas clypeata +0.59 (-0.08; 1.26) ? -1.08 (-2.51; 0.35)* ?

Anas crecca +0.87 (0.03; 1.71)* ? +1.15 (0.20; 2.50) ?

Anas penelope -5.47 (-6.12; -4.82)** ? -2.02 (-4.69; 0.65) ?

Anas platyrhynchos +2.42 (1.91; 2.93)** ? +2.84 (1.74; 3.94)** ?

Anas strepera +2.26 (1.42; 3.10)** ? -2.19 (-4.45; -0.03)* ?

Anser anser +0.76 (0.23; 1.29)** ? -4.67(-5.98; -3.36)** ?

Aythya ferina -7.1 (-8.43; -5.77)** ?? -10.86 (-13.00; -8.72)** ??

Aythya fuligula -10.37 (-11.51; -9.23)** ?? -8.16 (-10.69; -5.63)** ??

Fulica atra +0.29 (-0.53; 1.11) ? -0.74 (-2.27; 0.79) ?

Netta rufina -1.46(-2.97; 0.05) ? -8.26 (-11.53; -4.99)** ?

Oxyura leucocephala +10.48 (7.13; 13.83)** ?? -8.1(-12.80; -3.40)** ?

Tadorna tadorna +3.89 (2.58; 5.20)** ? +20.02 (16.69; 23.35)** ??

Anatidae and coots -0.2 (-0.39; 0.35) ? -0.85 (-1.87; 0.17) ?

Long-term and short-term trends for the most common overwintering Anatidae and coots. Statistically significant trends are highlighted(* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01).

The 10 wetlands with the greatest number of overwintering birds during the period 1991-2007.

Number of birdsWetland name Minimum Maximum Average Average %

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BIRDS IN MARINE HABITATS

This group includes many species which have been very little studied;moreover, there are numerous threats which mean that many seabirdsare endangered.

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pain is probably the European country with the highestmarine diversity, since it comprises such differentbiogeographic regions as the Canary Islands, the Bay of

Biscay, Galicia and the Mediterranean. Together these areas

cover more than one million square kilometres of water andthey lie adjacent to almost 8,000 km of coastline.S

According to their geographic, oceanographicand environmental characteristics, fourregions can be clearly distinguished: theCanary Islands, Galicia and the CantabrianSea, the Alborán Sea and the Gulf of Cádiz,and the Mediterranean.

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Fishing pressure represents the principal problem for the marineenvironment, through overfishing, alteration of biologicalcommunities and habitat degradation - and this is no exceptionin the case of birds. Accidental mortality is particularlyimportant, caused by certain fishing techniques (mainly long linehooks and gill nets), but also indirect effects, like overfishing of thespecies which form the prey of seabirds. Pollution is also a majorproblem for birds, which manifests itself in several ways: directmortality, sub-lethal physiological effects, habitat degradation andalteration of prey communities. Likewise, other more localized,and/or less studied threats must also be considered such asdisturbance caused by nautical recreational activities (especially

around breeding colonies). Finally, the wide-ranging effectsassociated with climate change may cause a major impact onthe marine environment, which could affect seabirds in manydifferent ways.

Seabirds are increasingly threatened, and at a faster rate thanother bird groups, as a result of the growing intensity anddiversity of the threats they face, both on land and at sea. Onland, the presence of exotic species, the degradation anddestruction of their nesting habitat, human disturbance and theappearance of emerging wildlife diseases inhibit the recoveryof these species.

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More than 20 species of seabirds reproduce in Spain andseveral of them have their main breeding populations here. Inaddition, Spanish waters host significant numbers ofoverwintering and migrating birds arriving from other regions,mainly northern Europe. In total, more than 40 species ofseabirds can be seen regularly in Spanish waters, 27 of whichhave contributed to the identification of the 42 SpanishImportant marine Bird Areas (marine IBAs).

Balearic Shearwater Common GuillemotBulwer's PetrelCory's Shearwater (ssp. diomedea)Manx ShearwaterLittle Shearwater (ssp. baroli)Madeiran Storm-petrelShag (ssp. aristotelis)Cory's Shearwater (ssp. borealas)White-faced Storm-PetrelEuropean Storm PetrelShag (ssp desmarestii)Slender-billed GullAudouin's GullKittiwakeSandwich Tern

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The Balearic Shearwater and the Iberian population ofCommon Guillemot are in a critical situation. The BalearicShearwater has the dubious privilege of being the mostthreatened seabird species in Europe. Its breeding population,confined to the Balearic Islands, amounts to little more than2,000 pairs and is in serious decline, which, at current rates,would lead to its extinction in about 40 years. In the case ofthe Common Guillemot, in the review undertaken in2006-2007, only 2 pairs and 4 isolated individuals werelocated: just 8 specimens of the 3,000 estimated in the 1970son Spanish coasts. The dramatic decline of both species islargely due to mortality caused by fishing practices.

Fishing is also one of the factors explaining the decline of thepopulations of the Cory's Shearwater, especially in theMediterranean (ssp. diomedea), where the Spanish populationis estimated at a few thousand pairs.

The situation represented by the Canary Island Proce-llariiformes is also worrying, especially the Bulwer's Petrel,the Little Shearwater, the Manx Shearwater and theMadeiran Storm-petrel. In these cases, it seems that themost serious problems are predation by introduced speciesin the breeding colonies and the mortality rate caused by lightpollution.

Also ‘Endangered’ is the Shag, which has two subspecies inSpain. In the Cantabrian Sea and Galician waters, P. a. aristotelishas a relatively small population (1,667 pairs in 2007) and hasundergone a major decline in the last decade, exceeding 50%in some regions. In the Mediterranean, P. a. desmarestii is morestable and currently totals 3,764 pairs.

Among the species in the ‘Vulnerable’ category, theAudouin's Gull merits a special mention, as more than 90%of its global breeding population is concentrated in Spain andit currently shows a slow increase, with 19,461 pairs sharedbetween 23 colonies in 2007. Despite this recovery, thespecies remains equally under threat. In the same threatcategory, the Kittiwake is in an increasingly delicate situation,because only 21 pairs remain of the 200 that constituted theSpanish population in 1982.

However, other species have improved their conservationstatus, like the Slender-billed Gull, whose population in2007 was estimated at 1,220 breeding pairs and has nowbeen removed from the ‘Vulnerable’ category as it does notqualify under any category of threat, due to its positive trendand expanded distribution. The Sandwich Tern is alsoexpanding in Spain since its colonization in the middle of lastcentury and it continues to establish new breeding sites.Todayits population is concentrated in 5 colonies and was estimatedat 3,796 pairs in 2007; however, it continues to be classified as‘Vulnerable’.

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BIRDS IN URBAN HABITATS

Although the overall population of the bird species found in our cities ishuge, some of them show worrying population declines.

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rban habitats exhibit a huge environmentalvariability in terms of their vegetation cover,typology of buildings, extent, altitude, presence of

rivers or coasts, etc.Thus, not only neighbouring towns, butalso adjacent neighbourhoods in the same city, may differgreatly in the bird community they host, depending on theabundance and maturity of gardens, the age and density ofbuildings, the prevailing human activities and many othervariables.

These habitats usually host a superabundance of a few species,so well-adapted to breed in buildings that they have virtuallydisappeared from other less artificial habitats. The clearestexamples are the House Sparrow, the Rock Dove (in itsdomestic variety), the Common Swift or the House Martin,which reach urban densities that are truly exceptional in theoverall context of the Iberian bird fauna.

Thanks to the common bird monitoring programme carriedout by SEO/BirdLife, information is available on 7 species thatare particularly related to urban environments, out of the 142recorded species.

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There are large areas within Spain with very few towns,while in the outskirts of the big cities, including Madrid,Barcelona, Valencia and Seville, the density of thesepopulation centres is much greater.

To summarise the overall trend of these seven species,their urban populations appear to be stable over the 12-year period (only an average annual decline of -0.5%with respect to 1998), although there have been markedfluctuations during this period.

Trends in the populations of common birds associated with urbanhabitats, 1998-2009.

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Only the House Sparrow, the most abundant species, showsa decline in its population. Currently it is estimated that thereare about 150 million House Sparrows in Spain. A decline,such as that detected (annual average of -0.6%) means about

seven and a half million birds less than in the late 1990s. Ifthis trend continues, will we have sparrows for many moreyears or will we see its extinction, as has happened in othercities like London or Prague?

Apus apus 1.3 -0.5 0.4 StableApus pallidus 7.5 -2.3 2.6 UncertainColumba livia 1.0 -1.9 -0.4 StableDelichon urbica 2.6 0.2 1.4 Moderate increase (p<0.05) *Passer domesticus -0.1 -1.2 -0.6 Moderate decline (p<0.05) *Streptopelia decaocto 19.5 15.7 17.6 Strong increase (p<0.01) **Sturnus vulgaris 7.6 0.0 3.8 Uncertain

Common name Maximum Minimum Average change (%) Trend

Average annual changes and trends of common birds associated with urban habitats.

Turning to the main regional divisions of Spain established forthe analyses, urban bird populations appear to have remained

stable for the centre and north of the Peninsula, but there wasa slight negative trend for the south and east.

North -0.6 StableCentre 0.2 StableEast -2.0 Moderate declineSouth -0.9 Moderate decline


Average annual changes and population trends of common birds associated with urban habitats, by regions, 1998-2009.

On the other hand, in recent decades, the large towns andcities have also experienced a notable increase in theabundance of some generalist species that were previouslyrare there, like the Magpie, Common Woodpigeon and, in themore agricultural settlements, the Eurasian Collared-Dove.

In the case of smaller villages, some of their most characteristicspecies, such as the Barn Swallow and the Eurasian Jackdaw,are actually highly dependent on the nearby farmland habitats,so they cannot be characterized so strictly as urban species.However, during the coldest months of the year, many of thesevillages and small housing developments can constituteimportant winter refuges for some species, like the PiedWagtail, the Robin, or the Black Redstart.

Indirectly related to urban environments in the true sense,waste tips attract certain species in huge numbers, such as theBlack-headed Gull and Black Kite. It is also very important toremember that urban habitats are, together with marshland,amongst the most susceptible to the settlement and expansion

of exotic bird species, as is the case of the Monk and Rose-ringed Parakeets.

However, urban centres may also offer great opportunities forconservation, since they are environments where it is possibleto carry out very specific measures to promote bird diversity,through the design and management of sustainable urbandevelopment plans, and they are also the perfect setting forlarge-scale education and awareness campaigns. It is also worthnoting that, in some cases, these areas shelter significantproportions of the populations of protected species, such asthe White Stork, Peregrine Falcon or Lesser Kestrel.

Some of these species are not in a very healthy state and,sometimes, building refurbishment leads to the loss of nestingsites, something especially important for ‘Vulnerable’ specieslike the Lesser Kestrel. For this species, in addition, there areother factors constraining its population, such as the agriculturalland-use change associated with the switch from drylandcultivation systems to irrigation, or excessive agrochemical use.

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CONSERVATION STATUS OF IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS IN SPAIN

The network of important areas for bird conservation has beencompleted thanks to the identification of marine IBAs.

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uring 2008, an analysis of the conservation status ofover 100 Important Bird Areas (IBA) was conductedin Spain, with the help of volunteers who take

charge of monitoring individual IBAs.This analysis suggests thatover 55% of these areas are at high risk of suffering from someof the various threats which have been detected.

The most frequently detected threats are those from humandisturbance, transport networks and overexploitation.

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By following the methodology developed by BirdLifeInternational to monitor the conservation status of IBAs, it hasbeen possible to verify the timing, the extent and the severityof the different threats in the various areas.

Solutions for the IBAs should be sought quickly,because the threats are associated with activities takingplace now, or which are expected to occur in the shortto medium term.

In only 9% of cases was it difficult to detect anydeterioration. In over 90% of the remaining areas, it hasbeen demonstrated that the obligations under the EU BirdsDirective are not being fulfilled and that deterioration istaking place.

Serious threats were detected in a large part of theIBA in almost 40% of the areas where the study wascarried out, and in over 50% of the areas studied thethreat was detected in at least part of the site.

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Only 3% of IBAs are considered to be implementing thenecessary measures to maintain their conservationstatus. In 36% of IBAs these measures are inadequate,do not exist at all or, very often, they exist but areconsidered to be inefficient.

Conservation status has been assessed throughexamining trends in those birds with regularmonitoring data in the Important Bird Areas. In morethan 42% of IBAs, conservation problems existamong the species examined.

The Important Bird Areas are not a form of legalprotection, but the inventories compiled by BirdLifeInternational have been crucial in the designation ofSPAs and other protected areas. Currently, 28% of theSpanish IBAs reviewed here are fully covered by someform of official protection.

The adoption and implementation of managementplans is essential to fulfil the non-deteriorationobligations for the SPAs. However, 37% of IBAs donot currently have any management plan.

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42 marine IBAs have been identified, occupyingan area of 4,288,300 hectares and accounting forapproximately 5% of Spanish territorial waters.The current aim is that these areas are designatedas SPAs.

In 2004, SEO/BirdLife took the initiative to extend the IBAconcept to the marine environment through the EU LifeProject: Important Areas for Marine Birds (IBA) in Spain.Theserious deterioration suffered by the seas and the organismswhich live there, the requirement to extend the Natura 2000network to the sea and the existence of new technologiesincreasingly appropriate for the study of seabirds provided theimpetus for this initiative.

The principal objectives of the project were:

a) To establish a reference methodology for the identificationof marine IBAs, especially in the open sea.

b) To produce an inventory of marine IBAs which would serveas a guide for the designation of the Natura 2000 networkin the marine environment.

This initiative, shared with the Sociedade Portuguesa para oEstudio das Aves (SPEA, BirdLife Portugal) is pioneering on aworld scale.

42 marine IBAs have been identified, divided into three typesconsidered in the process of site identification:

• Areas of seabird concentration at sea• Extensions to seabird breeding colonies• Key seabird migration areas

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Marine IBAs

First and foremost, SEO/BirdLife wishes to thank the thousandsof volunteer participants in all the monitoring programmescarried out for the organisation (SACRE, NOCTUA andPASER programmes, Birds and Climate, IBAs, Atlas ofWintering Birds in Spain and specific bird censuses), all ofwhom made it possible to gather the information presentedin this publication. The work carried out by all the regionalcoordinators is of incalculable value for SEO/BirdLife. It isthanks to the time they have devoted to organising these tasksthat we have been able to collect and present the resultsincluded in this publication.Without their volunteer work, timeand dedication, it would not be possible to develop this systemof bird monitoring and IBAs with its current scope andcoverage.

We very much appreciate the funding from the Ministry ofEnvironment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM, by itsinitials in Spanish) for the coordination of some of this workat a national level, and we express special thanks to JoséJiménez García-Herrero and Ricardo Gómez Calmaestra, fortheir assistance and effort which enables all of this informationto be used as a tool to manage our natural environment.Weare also very grateful for the support provided by the RegionalGovernments for several of these studies, whether throughcontributing information or funding regional censuses directly.Furthermore, all of them provided the information on wintercensuses of waterbirds for the national compilationundertaken by SEO/BirdLife for the MARM, within themanagement of the Office for Migratory Species, whoseinformation is summarised here.

Numerous scientists have also participated in the gathering ofinformation and evaluation of bird conservation status and wethank them all for their collaboration.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Documents

CONSERVATION STATUS 2010 OF BIRDS IN SPAINdatazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/sowb/countries/Spain2010... · other groups of fauna and flora (mammals,amphibians,reptiles, freshwater