Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: #http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of _the_WP15.xls#.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2014 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Low |
| Land mass type | Average mass | 57 g |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 55,700,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 12,800,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Severely Fragmented | - |
| Value | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | 14000000-25999999 | poor | estimated | 2012 |
| Population trend | Stable | suspected | - | |
| Decline (3 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (5 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation future) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation past and future) | - | - | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Percentage in largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 6.5 | - | - | - |
Population justification: In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 2,800,000-5,050,000 pairs, which equates to 5,600,000-10,100,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015). Europe forms approximately 40% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 14,000,000-25,250,000 mature individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed.
Trend justification: Declines may be occurring in parts of the range owing to loss of suitable prey due to widespread application of pesticides, loss of nesting sites through canalisation of rivers, increasing agricultural efficiency and establishment of monocultures, development of wilderness areas and shooting for sport, for food and because it is considered a crop pest (Fry and Boesman 2014). The population trend in Europe from 1989-2013 was uncertain (EBCC 2015), however the short-term trend is estimated to be stable (BirdLife International 2015). The population in South Africa appears to be declining (Fry and Boesman 2014).
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Presence | Resident | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Albania | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Algeria | N | Extant | ||||
| Angola | N | Extant | ||||
| Armenia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Austria | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Bahrain | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Belarus | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Belgium | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Benin | N | Extant | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Botswana | N | Extant | ||||
| Bulgaria | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | N | Extant | ||||
| Burundi | N | Extant | ||||
| Cameroon | N | Extant | ||||
| Cape Verde | V | Extant | ||||
| Central African Republic | N | Extant | ||||
| Chad | N | Extant | ||||
| China (mainland) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Congo | N | Extant | ||||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | N | Extant | ||||
| Côte d'Ivoire | N | Extant | ||||
| Croatia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Cyprus | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Czechia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Denmark | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Djibouti | N | Extant | ||||
| Egypt | N | Extant | ||||
| Eritrea | N | Extant | ||||
| Estonia | V | Extant | ||||
| Eswatini | N | Extant | ||||
| Ethiopia | N | Extant | ||||
| Finland | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| France | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Gabon | N | Extant | ||||
| Gambia | N | Extant | ||||
| Georgia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Germany | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Ghana | N | Extant | ||||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Greece | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Guinea | N | Extant | ||||
| Guinea-Bissau | N | Extant | ||||
| Hungary | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Iceland | V | Extant | ||||
| India | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Iraq | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Ireland | V | Extant | ||||
| Israel | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Italy | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Jordan | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Kenya | N | Extant | ||||
| Kuwait | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Latvia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Lebanon | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Lesotho | N | Extant | ||||
| Liberia | N | Extant | ||||
| Libya | N | Extant | ||||
| Liechtenstein | V | Extant | ||||
| Luxembourg | V | Extant | ||||
| Madagascar | V | Extant | ||||
| Malawi | N | Extant | ||||
| Maldives | V | Extant | ||||
| Mali | N | Extant | ||||
| Mauritania | N | Extant | ||||
| Moldova | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Montenegro | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Morocco | N | Extant | ||||
| Mozambique | N | Extant | ||||
| Namibia | N | Extant | ||||
| Netherlands | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Niger | V | Extant | ||||
| Nigeria | N | Extant | ||||
| North Macedonia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Norway | V | Extant | ||||
| Oman | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Pakistan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Palestine | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Poland | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Portugal | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Qatar | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Romania | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Russia | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Russia (European) | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Rwanda | N | Extant | ||||
| Saudi Arabia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Senegal | N | Extant | ||||
| Serbia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Seychelles | V | Extant | ||||
| Sierra Leone | N | Extant | ||||
| Slovakia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Slovenia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Somalia | N | Extant | ||||
| South Africa | N | Extant | ||||
| South Sudan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Spain | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sri Lanka | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Sudan | N | Extant | ||||
| Sweden | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Switzerland | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Syria | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Tajikistan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Tanzania | N | Extant | ||||
| Togo | N | Extant | ||||
| Tunisia | N | Extant | ||||
| Turkey | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Turkmenistan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Uganda | N | Extant | ||||
| Ukraine | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Uzbekistan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Western Sahara | N | Extant | ||||
| Yemen | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Zambia | N | Extant | ||||
| Zimbabwe | N | Extant |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | suitable | breeding |
| Forest | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Savanna | Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 2400 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food - human | - | - | Non-trivial | Recent | ||
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | - | - | International | Non-trivial | Recent | |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | - | - | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Merops apiaster. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 27/03/2023.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 27/03/2023.
