The latest Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) annual report shows all three UK breeding wagtail species are in long-term decline. However, the reasons behind these trends are not clear.

Our three wagtail species are: Yellow Wagtail, a farmland bird that migrates to sub-Saharan Africa; and two which largely remain in the UK over the winter; Grey Wagtail, a river specialist; and the familiar Pied Wagtail. The races of both Pied and Yellow Wagtail breeding in the UK nest almost nowhere else in the world. Wagtails are in severe decline, and these latest BBS figures reveal a 43% reduction between 1995 and 2012. Research suggests that changes in agricultural practices have driven this decline, but the species is a long-distance migrant so conditions overseas cannot be ruled out. Grey Wagtail, which has been on the Amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern since 2002, has shown a decline of 32% since the start of the survey and Pied Wagtail a shallower decline of 11%. Both Grey and Pied Wagtail BBS trends match closely those of the more riverine focused Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS) which has recorded a rapid decline of both species along rivers and canals. The Pied Wagtail decline is steeper in the WBBS trends than the BBS trends, which covers all habitats, suggesting that there might be a common factor affecting both species relating to the riverine habitat.