UK birds at record low, down 19% since 1970

UK wild bird numbers hit their lowest recorded level, Defra said 13 October 2026. Average abundance across 132 native breeding species fell 19% between 1970 and 2025. The index, built with the RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology and Joint Nature Conservation Committee, will test farmland and conservation policy. The warning is the breadth of decline, not one species.