Golden Oriole (Eurasian Golden Oriole)
Oriolus oriolus
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Distribution Britain 45 (+350%) Ireland 0
Numbers breeding: Britain 24 Ireland 0 European status: 1,400,000 (0% in Britain and Ireland) British population trend: established but recent decline How likely are you to record it? 1 squares (0.0%) Ranked 190= |
The 19th century saw breeding records from many counties — especially Devon and the counties from Lincolnshire to Kent. Many birds were shot as trophies before they could nest. Regular breeding (in Kent) may have ceased by about 1910 but sporadic nesting, mostly in the South-east, continued. However just over 30 years ago the colonisation of poplar plantations in the Fenland basin started. These birds almost certainly came from Holland where the birds prefer these trees for nesting. The population reached 20-35 some 15 years ago and has remained at this level since (maximum 42 in 1990). Despite extensive poplar plantations being felled — the wood was not needed for matches with the introduction of cheap lighters — they spread to breed in smaller areas. The only breeding record in Scotland was during 1974 in Fifeshire but other birds have been recorded, before and since, in summer. Here to stay and, with the help of global warming, to spread?
Millwright, R.D.P. 1998 Bird Study: 45, 320-330.
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead