The fifth UK and Isle of Man hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) survey was conducted in 2016, with the number of territorial pairs estimated at 575: a 13% decline since the previous survey in 2010. Comparison with the estimate from the 2004 survey, demonstrates a significant decline of 27% over the past 12 years. In Scotland, the population was estimated at 460 territorial pairs, this being 80% of all UK and Isle of Man pairs in 2016. The majority of these were found in the west, while Orkney and the Hebrides were the only areas of the country to show a slight increase in the number of pairs since 2010. The survey also revealed that the hen harrier remains on the brink of extinction as a breeding species in England, as the population fell from 12 pairs in 2010 to just four pairs in 2016.
Source: RSPB - The State of the UK's Birds 2017