Habitat and spatial trends of U.K. wintering waterbird populations over 50 years

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Blaise Martay, Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan, James W. Pearce‐Higgins, Graham E. Austin, Niall H. K. Burton, David Noble, Kirsi Peck, Simon R. Wotton, Teresa M. Frost
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2026
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author Blaise Martay
Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan
James W. Pearce‐Higgins
Graham E. Austin
Niall H. K. Burton
David Noble
Kirsi Peck
Simon R. Wotton
Teresa M. Frost
author_facet Blaise Martay
Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan
James W. Pearce‐Higgins
Graham E. Austin
Niall H. K. Burton
David Noble
Kirsi Peck
Simon R. Wotton
Teresa M. Frost
Blaise Martay
Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan
James W. Pearce‐Higgins
Graham E. Austin
Niall H. K. Burton
David Noble
Kirsi Peck
Simon R. Wotton
Teresa M. Frost
collection Wiley Open Access
contents Habitat and spatial trends of U.K. wintering waterbird populations over 50 years Blaise Martay Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan James W. Pearce‐Higgins Graham E. Austin Niall H. K. Burton David Noble Kirsi Peck Simon R. Wotton Teresa M. Frost Conservation Biology Abstract The United Kingdom is an important wintering ground for millions of waterbirds. Most U.K. wintering waterbird populations increased between 1970 and the mid‐1990s, but declined thereafter. We examined U.K. population indices in 46 wintering waterbird species in two 25‐year periods, 1970–1994 and 1995–2019, to identify which waterbird groups were vulnerable to declines. We modeled abundance to examine whether spatial patterns in population change were consistent with changes in habitat quality, climate, or phenology. We used the resulting model outputs to test whether there were patterns in these relationships across all monitored wintering waterbirds and within groups based on ecology, migratory strategy, and breeding location. Waterbird populations in the United Kingdom increased from 1970 to 1994, particularly in estuaries, but then showed mixed trends from 1995 to 2019: geese and swan populations increased, and waders declined. Wader declines were least apparent, although still declining, in estuaries and most apparent in reservoirs. Increased breeding season temperatures were linked to population increases for most species in both periods, although there was no beneficial impact of climate warming for migrants from 1995 to 2019. We found no evidence that apparent declines were due to phenological changes. These results highlight the need for more research into why U.K. wintering waterbird trends have become more negative over the past 25 years. 10.1111/cobi.70310 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
doi_str_mv 10.1111/cobi.70310
format Artículo Open Access
id wiley_oa_10_1111_cobi_70310
institution Wiley Open Access
license_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
publishDate 2026
publisher Wiley
record_format wiley_oa
spellingShingle Habitat and spatial trends of U.K. wintering waterbird populations over 50 years
Blaise Martay
Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan
James W. Pearce‐Higgins
Graham E. Austin
Niall H. K. Burton
David Noble
Kirsi Peck
Simon R. Wotton
Teresa M. Frost
Conservation Biology
Habitat and spatial trends of U.K. wintering waterbird populations over 50 years Blaise Martay Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan James W. Pearce‐Higgins Graham E. Austin Niall H. K. Burton David Noble Kirsi Peck Simon R. Wotton Teresa M. Frost Conservation Biology Abstract The United Kingdom is an important wintering ground for millions of waterbirds. Most U.K. wintering waterbird populations increased between 1970 and the mid‐1990s, but declined thereafter. We examined U.K. population indices in 46 wintering waterbird species in two 25‐year periods, 1970–1994 and 1995–2019, to identify which waterbird groups were vulnerable to declines. We modeled abundance to examine whether spatial patterns in population change were consistent with changes in habitat quality, climate, or phenology. We used the resulting model outputs to test whether there were patterns in these relationships across all monitored wintering waterbirds and within groups based on ecology, migratory strategy, and breeding location. Waterbird populations in the United Kingdom increased from 1970 to 1994, particularly in estuaries, but then showed mixed trends from 1995 to 2019: geese and swan populations increased, and waders declined. Wader declines were least apparent, although still declining, in estuaries and most apparent in reservoirs. Increased breeding season temperatures were linked to population increases for most species in both periods, although there was no beneficial impact of climate warming for migrants from 1995 to 2019. We found no evidence that apparent declines were due to phenological changes. These results highlight the need for more research into why U.K. wintering waterbird trends have become more negative over the past 25 years. 10.1111/cobi.70310 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Habitat and spatial trends of U.K. wintering waterbird populations over 50 years
topic Conservation Biology
url https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.70310