Rarities & Conservation: Rare Birds in the UK - Hoopoes, Eagles, and Other Breeding Successes

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Rarities & Conservation: Tracking Rare Birds in the UK - Hoopoes, Eagles, and Other Breeding Successes

5 November 2025
By James Hamilton

Hoopoe with food. Credit: Liz Cutting / BTO

A remarkable breeding season has been recorded for some of the UK’s rarest birds, according to the latest report from the Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP).

From the welcome return of the Hoopoe to sobering declines in northern species, 2023 brought both inspiring recoveries and fresh conservation challenges.

Hoopoes Make a Comeback

For the first time in nearly three decades, Hoopoes have successfully bred in the UK. A pair raised three young in farmland across Leicestershire and Rutland — the first confirmed breeding since 1996, when a pair nested in Wales.

With their striking salmon-pink and black-and-white plumage, bold crest, and curved bill, Hoopoes are unmistakable visitors from warmer southern regions. They typically inhabit areas from southern Europe across Asia to Japan, and throughout much of Africa south of the Sahara. While they have bred sporadically in Britain since 1835, records remain rare, with only a handful of confirmed nests in the last two centuries.

Temminck’s Stint Returns to the Highlands

Further north, a pair of Temminck’s Stints made a promising nesting attempt in the Scottish Highlands — the first confirmed since 1997. Unfortunately, their four-egg clutch was lost to rising water levels. Once a regular but scarce breeder in northern Scotland between 1969 and 1997, this tiny wader’s reappearance offers a glimmer of hope for future recolonisation.

Record Numbers for Iconic Species

The RBBP report highlights that 15 species reached record totals in 2023, including the White-tailed Eagle, with 160 breeding pairs now established across the UK. Following a successful reintroduction programme launched in Scotland in 1975, these majestic raptors are expanding southwards. A recent project on the Isle of Wight has already borne fruit, with a pair breeding in Sussex in 2023 — the first in England since 1780.

Another conservation success story, the Marsh Harrier, surpassed 500 pairs for the first time. When RBBP monitoring began in 1973, there were just six breeding females.

Large wading birds have also flourished. Cranes, Spoonbills, Bitterns, Great White Egrets, and Little Egrets all reached record highs thanks to habitat restoration, wetland creation, and stronger legal protections.

Troubling Declines in the North

Not all trends were positive. Populations of Slavonian Grebes in northern Scotland dropped to just 16 pairs, the lowest since records began in 1973. Similarly, only six pairs of Redwings were found breeding in 2023 — the lowest ever recorded. Both species reflect wider global declines linked to shifting climates and habitat pressures in their northern breeding ranges.

Bird Flu’s Lingering Impact

The aftermath of avian influenza (HPAI) continues to affect some of the UK’s rarest breeding birds. On Coquet Island in Northumberland, the only UK colony of Roseate Terns declined from 154 pairs in 2022 to 118 in 2023, following the loss of 90 adults during the outbreak. Encouragingly, early results from 2024 suggest the colony is rebounding, marking its second most successful breeding season on record.

Meanwhile, Peregrine Falcon numbers fell by 18% between 2022 and 2023, with declines noted across 66 counties — possibly linked to bird flu mortality.

Decades of Data, Decades of Dedication

“The RBBP has collected data on the UK’s rarest breeding birds since 1973, giving us a long-term perspective on the winners and losers over the last half-century,” said Dr Mark Eaton, RBBP Secretary. “It is heartening to see the return of absent species, and many others going from strength to strength as the result of targeted conservation action.”

“It’s been another terrific year for data submissions,” added Dawn Balmer, BTO Head of Surveys and RBBP Chair. “Huge thanks go to all birdwatchers and County Recorders whose efforts make this work possible.”

Slavonian Grebe. Credit: Edmund Fellowes / BTO

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