Booming bitterns continue comeback with record numbers

Updated

Rare bitterns are continuing their comeback in the UK with new record high numbers of “booming” males, conservationists said.

The elusive birds, whose distinctive booming call is used to count the number of males, were on the brink of extinction in this country 20 years ago with just 11 males left.

But the latest population survey has recorded 188 males at 82 sites, up from 164 at 71 sites in 2017, continuing a year-on-year increase in numbers since 2006.

The secretive, hard-to-spot birds, once a delicacy in medieval banquets, disappeared from Britain by the 1870s before recolonising in the early 20th century.

They found themselves back on the brink in the 1990s, but conservation work to protect and restore their reedbed habitat has helped turn their fortunes around, wildlife experts said.

Simon Wotton, RSPB senior conservation scientist, said: “We count bitterns by listening for their distinctive booming call, and every year more and more bitterns are making newly created or restored wetlands their home to raise young.

“The recovery of this elusive bird is a remarkable conservation success and shows what can be achieved through targeted efforts to restore and create more of their favoured habitat.

“To go from being on the brink of extinction to having close to 200 booming males in 20 years – at a time when many other species are in decline – highlights how effective this project has been.”

More than half of Britain’s breeding bittern population occur within Special Protected Areas (SPAs) which are designated and protected under EU law, and the species has been boosted with funding from EU Life nature projects.

Bittern in pond
Bittern in pond

The RSPB called on the Government to bolster the laws on protecting nature and ensuring funding for wildlife after Brexit.

Martin Harper, RSPB conservation director, said: “With their foghorn-like song and cryptic yet distinctive plumage, bitterns are one our most charismatic birds.

“Their astonishing recovery from the brink of extinction is a real conservation success story, but we must ensure it isn’t done in vain.

“As the UK has voted to leave the EU, we must safeguard their future as a breeding species in the UK by bolstering the laws that protect nature and replacing the funds that will be lost.”

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