Farmers in Somerset and Gloucestershire are working with RSPB researchers in an attempt to reverse the decline of a popular farmland bird.

Starling numbers are in freefall across the EU; since 1980 the birds have declined by 80 per cent in the UK alone. Across Europe, an estimated 40 million birds have disappeared in that time, meaning starling numbers have dropped by more than any other farmland bird species.

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Although there are still relatively large numbers of starlings in the UK, these decline each year and the bird was added to the country’s ‘red list’ in 2002. Dr Richard Gregory, from the RSPB's bird monitoring section commented, "Forty million starlings lost represents over 150 for every hour since the 1980s.This loss should be a wake-up call, because we ignore the decline of nature at our own peril."

Under new projects in Somerset and Gloucestershire, farmers and researchers will examine whether there is sufficient food and nesting sites for starlings in livestock areas. The birds feed by probing grassland for soil invertebrates, including leatherjackets. As leatherjackets, larvae of the cranefly, are widely regarded as pests, starlings provide a beneficial ‘ecosystem service’ for farmers and gardeners.

There are a number of theories which seek to explain the decline in the starling population in Europe. There have been suggestions that the losses could be a result of reductions in available grassland through conversion to forestry land and increases in cropland. The British Trust for Ornithology has suggested more intensive farming practices have hampered the birds’ ability to find food in undisturbed soil.

Martin Harper, RSPB Conservation Director, suggested more research is needed to discover the driving factors behind the losses. He said, “We don’t know the reasons for the starling’s decline, but we hope that our research will yield the answers to ensure this bird has a secure future. Understanding exactly what is causing these declines will allow us to develop practical and cost-effective solutions for land managers and farmers. These could then be delivered through wildlife-friendly farming schemes and other policy interventions.”

He added that vital conservation efforts will work “Only if Europe and our Government grow this vital source of funding as they reform the CAP and agree the European budget over the next few months.”

Abi Bunker, a spokesperson for the RSPB agricultural policy team, added, “The loss of farmland birds is yet another example of Europe’s wildlife paying a high price for unsustainable farming policies. We know that many farmers would like to help farmland wildlife and we would like to see an increase in the amount of money that’s available to those farmers to help them protect our UK wildlife.”

According to the latest data from BirdLife International and the European Bird Census Council, Europe’s population of farmland birds has fallen by over 300 million between 1980 and 2009; a halving of the total population. Although some bird species appear to have benefitted, numbers of other species have dropped by up to 90 per cent.

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