Distribution Britain 1,204 (-28.9%) Ireland 179 (-64.1%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 15,000 Ireland 3,000
European status: 600,000 (3% in Britain and Ireland = 8=)
British population trend: seriously declining (-55% CBC){-70%}
Conservation Listings
Table 4/Amber (25-49% population decline)
Biodiversity Steering Group Conservation Concern List Long term trend UK: Probable rapid decline
Status Summary: The Woodcock has declined significantly on CBC plots. Although the CBC does not cover all of the species' range well, range contractions that probably have the same cause as the decline in abundance have occurred concurrently (Gibbons et al. 1993).
The drying out of natural woodlands and the maturation of plantations are possible causes of the Woodcock's decline.
