Ring OuzeL: A Declining Breeding Bird in Britain and Ireland

Photo credit: Langham Birder on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Ring Ouzels are summer visitors who breed in the rough, open terrain of mountains in Britain and Ireland. They arrive from their wintering grounds in the Mediterranean and North Africa in the spring and return in the autumn.

Very few Ring Ouzels visit Northern and the Republic of Ireland where they are considered a rare bird.

There are concerns about the future of Ring Ouzels in Britain as nearly two-thirds of the population has been lost in the last 25 years. Ornithologists in Ireland believe Ring Ouzels will become extinct in the near future.

The Ring Ouzel, Turdus torquatus, belongs to the Thrush family of birds and is smaller and slimmer than a Blackbird.

Males have black plumage with a pale crescent on the chest and panel on the wing. Females are brown and have a duller chest band.

Ring Ouzels are shy and elusive birds who live and breed the rough, inhospitable terrain of mountains. They are generally found from sea level up to 1200 metres, or 0.75 miles, high.

Pairs make their nests in open places high in the mountains. Nests are made on the steep sides of valleys, crags, ledges of mountains and among the heather of moorland.

The main diet of the Ring Ouzel includes insects such as flies, beetles and leatherjacks, spiders, invertebrates and earthworms,

Fruit and berries are eaten in the autumn and winter. The berries of elders, bilberry, blackberry, hawthorns and rowans are particularly favoured.

“A mosaic of heather patches, as cover and open areas to forage, appears to be important’ for the species” (Irish Examiner – please see below).

Ring Ouzels arrive in Britain from their wintering grounds in the Mediterranean and North Africa between late March and April. Some of those who breed in Scandinavia also stop for a short time along the coast.

Ring Ouzels were not a common or widespread bird in Britain during the twentieth century. Sadly, a recent long term decline in the population has led to a contraction of their range in Britain.

They no longer breed in southern and central England as well as parts of Scotland and Wales. For example, their numbers declined by 70% in some areas of the Scottish Highlands between 1999 and 2007.

Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands remains one of the strongholds of the Ring Ouzel in Britain.

A map of the breeding distribution of Ring Ouzels in Britain and Ireland has been provided by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO - https://app.bto.org/mapstore/StoreServlet?id=370 ).

The main breeding sites of Ring Ouzels are Counties Kerry and Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

Ring Ouzels once bred in every county of Northern Ireland. Sadly, the population has declined with only 14 reports of breeding since 1974. The Mourne Mountains are the main nesting sites of Red Ouzels.

The areas inhabited by Ring Ouzels include open hillsides where there is heather, grassy knolls and some scrub. Small number of passage migrants are found on areas of short grass along the coast and the sides of steep grassy hills.
The breeding season is between mid-April until mid-July with the first clutches laid in late April or May.

Pairs breed either singly or in loose colonies and aggressively defend their nests. Nest are often found near water.

Nests are made on or near the ground among heather and other vegetation in crags, gullies, ledges and the other rocky places of mountains. Other suitable breeding areas are around hill farms, the edges of forests and old quarries.

Three to five eggs are laid which take 2 weeks to hatch. The young learn to fly after another 2 weeks. Both parents care for the young and often raise 2 broods a year.

Adults moult between July and September before migrating to their wintering grounds.

Most of the population leave Britain and Ireland by late September. Ring Ouzels are seen either singly or in small groups before migration.

Ring Ouzels arrive on their wintering quarters by mid-October onwards. Their wintering grounds are in the Mediterranean and the Atlas Mountains in the North African countries of Algeria and Morocco.

The Ring Ouzel is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

Europe holds 95% of the global breeding population of Ring Ouzels. The trend in Europe between 1998 and 2013 was described as stable.

The population in Scandinavia and southern Europe are reported to be stable.

The Ring Ouzel is a red-listed species of bird in both Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The status of the Ring Ouzel is red in Britain because of a dramatic decline in the breeding population over the last 25 years. Research has shown the decline is ongoing.

The British Trust for Ornithology said the Ring Ouzel population declined by over half, or 58%,, between 1988 and 1991 and 1999. Their numbers declined by another 29% between 1999 and 2012.

The charity stated the reasons for the decline of the Ring Ouzel in Britain remain unknown.
(BTO – Species - https://app.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?year=2019&s=rinou ).

The RSPB reported the “UK range contracted by 27 per cent between 1970 and 1990, and the population is thought to have decreased in number, by about 60 per cent, between 1990 and 1999”.

“Possible causes of this decline include afforestation, changes in ...grazing regimes, and grassland improvement.”
(RSPB - https://www.rspb.org.uk/…/advice/helping-species/ring-ouzel/ ).

Research has shown that Scottish Ring Ouzels have recently moved away from breeding near conifer forests to the steeper areas of mountains.

The danger of predators using forests as cover together with a lack of heather on moorland nearest conifer forests may explain the decline of Ring Ouzels in Scotland
(The Decline of the Ring Ouzel in Britain – see below).

The Ring Ouzel has also suffered declines in the Republic of Ireland where there are fears they are facing extinction.

“Ouzels still breed in Kerry and Donegal, but in pitifully small numbers. Alan Mee found just 11 ‘apparently occupied’ sites in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks during a survey he conducted in 2008. By 2011, there were only four” (Irish Examiner - https://www.irishexaminer.com/…/marginal-ring-ouzel-could-b… ).

Possible reasons given for the decline in Britain and Ireland include competition with blackbirds and thrushes, disturbance by walkers and agricultural changes.

Birdlife International cited a reduction in juniper trees in their wintering grounds may be a factor in the decline in Britain. Juniper berries are one of the main sources of winter food for Ring Ouzels.

The Ring Ouzel was included in priority Bio-diversity Action Plan in the UK in 2002.

The main threats to Ring Ouzels in Europe include human disturbance, development in mountains for the leisure industry, hunting, climate change affecting winter survival, increased number of predators, burning and cutting of moorland, summer floods, afforestation and loss of habitat due to overgrazing,

For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit,
http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/index.html

References

The Decline of the Red Ouzel in Britain: https://www.researchgate.net/…/229068728_The_decline_of_the…