英国野生鸟类种群数量创历史新低

英国野生鸟类种群面临严重危机。根据最新数据，132个本地繁殖鸟类物种在1970年至2025年间的平均种群数量下降了19%1。过去五年内，受监测物种中有45%的数量在下降，仅27%出现增长1。英国皇家鸟类保护协会（RSPB）监测部门主管Richard Gregory称这些发现"令人震惊而清醒"1。

不同类型的鸟类受灾程度差异明显。农田鸟类自1970年来累计下降63%，近五年降幅为12%1；海鸟种群过去五年内下跌超过20%，主要原因是禽流感1；雨燕种群五年内下降约25%，平均每年下降近6%1；乌龟鸠种群五年内下降超过50%1。英国境内55%的被监测物种出现下降1。

尽管前景黯淡，但部分物种表现出复苏迹象。红鹞种群自2019年来上升48%，戴菊鸟同期上升300%1；鹤类种群已回升至87对1。英国环境、食品和农村事务部（Defra）将长期种群下降归因于1950年代以来的农业变化，包括混合农业的丧失、农药化肥使用增加及树篱的移除1。

Breeding bird populations across the United Kingdom have reached their lowest level on record, according to new data released this month.1 The average population of 132 native breeding bird species has declined by 19 percent between 1970 and 2025, with nearly half of all monitored species experiencing population losses over the past five years.1 Richard Gregory, head of monitoring at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), described the findings as "shocking and sobering."1

The decline is particularly acute in specific habitats and among certain species.1 Farmland birds have plummeted by 63 percent since 1970, though the rate of decline has slowed to 12 percent since 2020.1 Seabirds have fallen by more than 20 percent over the past five years, with avian influenza identified as a primary driver.1 Swift populations have contracted by approximately 25 percent in the past five years, declining nearly 6 percent annually on average, while turtle dove populations have dropped by over 50 percent during the same period.1

Across the United Kingdom, 55 percent of monitored species are in decline, while only 27 percent have increased in the past five years.1 However, some species have shown notable recovery.1 Red kites have surged 48 percent since 2019, firecrest populations have risen 300 percent over the same span, and crane populations have rebounded to 87 pairs.1 The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has attributed the long-term decline to agricultural changes since the 1950s, including the loss of mixed farming, increased pesticide and fertilizer use, and removal of hedgerows.1