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BTO Blueline
MOORHEN
Gallinula chloropus
 Moorhen © G H Higginbotham
 

• Population
  changes

• Productivity
  trends

• Additional
  information
Conservation listings
Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: green
Long-term trend
UK: fluctuating, with no long-term trend
UK population size
270,000 pairs in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)
Status summary
While the long-term CBC/BBS trend is of shallow increase, much of the population increase took place before 1974, when WBS monitoring began, and may have been a recovery from heavy mortality during the cold winters of the early 1960s. On both CBC/BBS and WBS evidence, there was decrease during the 1970s and 1980s, but this has been followed by a partial recovery. A decline in the number and quality of farmland ponds, and the spread of American mink Mustela vison, which is an important predator especially along watercourses, have been suggested as possible causes of decline. The decline has been associated with significant reductions in breeding performance. Average clutch size has declined and the failure rate of nests over the full 25-day egg period (20 days for incubation and 5 days for laying) has increased, earning the species a place on the NRS concern list (Leech & Barimore 2008). Average brood sizes have increased, however.
 

Population changes
WBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Moorhen

Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
CBC/BBS UK 39 1967-2006 260 27 0 59    
  25 1981-2006 347 -3 -18 11    
  10 1996-2006 640 16 8 25    
  5 2001-2006 656 0 -6 5    
CBC/BBS England 39 1967-2006 237 31 2 62    
  25 1981-2006 318 -2 -14 16    
  10 1996-2006 587 14 6 23    
  5 2001-2006 605 -2 -8 3    
WBS waterways 31 1975-2006 78 -8 -32 31    
  25 1981-2006 81 3 -23 38    
  10 1996-2006 80 3 -16 24    
  5 2001-2006 69 4 -10 18    
BBS UK 11 1995-2006 586 17 8 26    
  10 1996-2006 599 17 9 25    
  5 2001-2006 656 1 -5 7    
BBS England 11 1995-2006 538 13 3 23    
  10 1996-2006 549 14 5 23    
  5 2001-2006 605 -1 -6 4    

BBS acknowledgement
 
CBC/BBS UK graph
CBC/BBS England graph
BBS UK graph
BBS England graph
 

Productivity trends
Table of productivity changes for Moorhen

Variable Period
(yrs)		 Years Mean
annual
sample		 Trend Modelled
in first year		 Modelled
in 2006		 Change Comment
Clutch size 38 1968-2006 91 Linear decline 6.52 eggs 5.96 eggs -8.6%  
Brood size 38 1968-2006 77 Curvilinear 3.12 chicks 4.3 chicks 38.1%  
Daily failure rate (eggs) 38 1968-2006 110 Curvilinear 1.35% nests/day 2.15% nests/day 59.3%  
Daily failure rate (chicks) 38 1968-2006 36 None        
Laying date 38 1968-2006 68 Linear decline May 10 May 5 -5 days  

 
Clutch size graph
Brood size graph
Egg nest failure graph

 

 

Insufficient data on nestling failure
available for this species
Laying date graph

 

 

Insufficient data on CES
available for this species
 

Additional information
BTO blue divider
 

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This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Joys, A.C., Noble, D.G.,
Barimore, C., Grantham, M.J., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. (2009).
Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2008.
BTO Research Report No. 516. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

Pages maintained by Iain Downie, Mandy T Andrews and Laura Smith: Last updated 18.02.2009