Lost + found - Extinct British Isles 3

A selection of recently extinct (and in some cases returning) fauna from the British Isles, to scale.

Much of the coastlines that surround the British Isles is easily accessible to humans, with a major proportion of the population living on or close to the coast (less than 100 kms away). Not surprisingly a lot of coastal habitat have diminished under through human development and agricultural practices - drainage of wetlands, dunes overgrazed, erosion of cliff edges, coastal over-fishing, and water pollution. The birds depicted here are all wetland and coastal species which were all native to the British Isles. Some have disappeared as breeding species, while others are making a comeback.

* Auk - As one of the most prominent symbols of extinction, the demise of the great auk is a tragedy. The species lived across the North Atlantic Ocean, breeding on remote rocky islands as far south as Florida and Morocco during the latest Pleistocene. Populations disappeared from the southern regions largely due to the warming climate, but also as they came into contact with humans. Being flightless, the birds were easily harvested for eggs, meat and skins. Subfossil remains have been located in Southern England (Roman period) and Scotland (Iron Age), while historical records exist for the last birds on the Isle of Man (17th Century), Farne Islands (18th Century), Hebrides and Orkney (last pair 1812), Lundy (1829), St Kilda (1840) and Ireland (1845). A last individual spotted off the coast of Newfoundland in 1852 is the final record of the existence of the species.

* Stork - While the fossil record for the presence of white storks in Britain extends back 360,000 years, it appears that that they were always an infrequent breeder in Britain, with only isolated records from the Bronze Age through to the 20th century. Across Europe, white storks were a victim of industrialisation and changes to agriculture during the 19th century, and further pressure was applied in Britain from over-hunting and persecution during the English Civil War. The last recorded breeding occurred in 1416 (Edinburgh). A reintroduction initiative known as the White Stork Project imported wild fledged juveniles from Poland in 2016 for release at sites across West Sussex, Kent and Surrey. Breeding began in 2020 and the small population has been supplemented with further releases of imported young birds and captive-bred stock between 2020 and 2022. It is only a rare visitor to Ireland.

* Pelican - The identity of subfossil pelican remains in Britain were originally assumed to be of the Great White pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus, however subsequent analysis determined that they were in fact Dalmatians, which were better suited to the shallow waters and cooler climate of North-west Europe. Pelicans were only ever present in the British Isles during periods of suitable climate. Bones have been found in peat bogs across 11 locations in Somerset, East Anglia and Yorkshire, with the last known dating from the Roman period (43 AD). Although currently found across Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and temperate Asia, a reintroduction program for Dalmatian pelicans is in the early stages, buoyed by a warming climate in Britain. There are no records of this species being present in Ireland.

* Avocet - Widely distributed across Europe, Africa and Asia, avocets disappeared in Britain due to a combination of drainage in wetlands, hunting, and egg collection. The species was extirpated as a breeding bird in 1840, and even after this date the occasional visitors were often shot for stuffed specimens. Circumstances changed dramatically due to the Second World War. Strategies to prevent a potential invasion saw the deliberate flooding of coastal marshes in East Anglia, previously drained for farmland. The 400 acres of brackish pools and reedbeds suddenly became a haven for wild birds, and avocets were one of the first species to return following the end of the war. Breeding first occurred in 1947 due to protection of the site by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The success in Suffolk allowed the species to spread to around Britain (currently 1500 breeding pairs). Such was the importance of the RSPB in the return of avocets to Britain, that the charity adopted it as their logo. It is only considered a rare visitor to Ireland.

* Tern - While there are only two palaeontological records for Black terns in North-west Europe, the species was a prolific breeder in East Anglia up until the 19th Century. With the draining of their breeding grounds, they were wiped out by 1840. Occasional attempts at breeding have occurred in Britain (last recorded in the 1970s) and Ireland, however it is now considered only a passage migrant.

* Crake - A widely distributed species which has disappeared from much of Northern Europe with the loss of wetland habitat. It was last recorded breeding in the 1850s (Ireland) and 1888 (Britain). Despite a recovery in continental Europe, since 1950 there have been fewer than 30 individuals recorded in Britain. An exceptional influx occurred in 2012 with as many as 11 calling males, whereas only three individuals were observed in 2022. British records of breeding crakes are rare, and a first Irish record only occurred during 2012.

* Plover - First described in 1787, it's name was given for the single localised population in the south-eastern tip of Britain. From a peak of 40 pairs during the early to mid 20th century, breeding Kentish plovers disappeared in 1979. Primarily the loss is due to habitat disruption (land reclamation, pollution, river management) and recreational use of beaches. It is now only a rare migrant in Britain, while considered a vagrant species in Ireland.

* Stint - One of the smallest waders found predominately across Northern Eurasia, this species has always been a rare breeding bird in Britain. Breeding has been sporadic, after a first attempt in 1934. Several pairs were established during the 1970s and 80s in Scotland, however the last confirmed breeding was in 1997. Currently the stint is predominantly a passage migrant (highest total was over 220 individuals in 2004) in Britain with occasional birds visiting Ireland.