Endemic Species?

[JackBD95]

Hi,
when i was in Nz recently i purchased a Nz birds field guide. Under each bird it might say endemic(only breeds in Nz, like the kiwi) or migrant from australia or otherwise.
this got me thinking as to whether Britain has any endemic species. seeing out close proximity with the continent i would say no but does a capercaille for example occur anywhere other than Scotland?
thanks in advance

[RoyW]

There is only one bird species that is currently considered a British endemic, and that is the Scottish Crossbill (there are some who dispute this and consider that the Scottish Crossbill would be better considered a race of Common or Parrot Crossbill, but at present it is treated as a species in its own right).

The British Isles do have quite a few endemic races/subspecies of birds, the most famous one being the Red Grouse - formerly considered to be an endemic species, now treated as a subspecies of the continental Willow Grouse.

Capercaillies are found elsewhere, if they weren't we wouldn't have any in Scotland (they were hunted to extinction and then reintroduced).

[RKB]

Capercaillie is widespread across Eurasia - the ones in Scotland are actually a reintroduction from Scandinavia after it went extinct. A quick look at the distribution maps in a European field guide should give you a good idea

Whether we have any endemic species is a point of controversy, and is not immediately easy to answer, because different people have different ideas about what a species is. It is widely believed that the Scottish Crossbill is a distinct species, and therefore our only endemic, but the Americans don't think it is (and neither do others, they think it's a form of Common or Parrot Crossbill). The Crossbill complex is just that, very complex, and we either have dozens of species in Eurasia and North America or just a handful - it depends on what you call a species (not an easy question by any means).

The Red Grouse was once regarded as our only native species, but this is now considered to be a subspecies (race) of the Willow Grouse. We do have quite a lot of endemic races/subspecies - a lot of the tits, treecreeper, black grouse, song thrush etc. But this is also quite contentious, and the number of accepted races waxes and wanes with trends in taxonomy.

This is also a political question, as if a bird is classed as an endemic species then the Govt is obliged to give it species protection. For the Scottish Crossbill, this means lots of money has been poured into preserving the forests in which it lives. So there is a reason for some conservation bodies to maintain that the Scottish Crossbill is a distinct species, especially if it lives on land that they manage (as they can then get funding for it). If it's just a race, then it has less demand for special protection.

So it's a very complex question, with no straight answers, and it very much depends on who you talk to, and when.

[JackBD95]

great thanks guys

[Blahah]

Plants have been sorely underrepresented in this discussion! There are actually quite a few endemic British plant species:

The Postcode Plants Database - Natural History Museum

Notably, many Sorbus species are endemic.

[Deb London]

Plants will be underrepresented as this is the bird forum.

[RobS]

Harsh but fair Deb!

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by RobS

Harsh but fair Deb!

I was just about to write a long endemic plant list. Won't bother now!!!!
Dorts.

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Blahah

Plants have been sorely underrepresented in this discussion! There are actually quite a few endemic British plant species:

The Postcode Plants Database - Natural History Museum

Notably, many Sorbus species are endemic.

Although a lot of those seem to be subspecies!

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Deb London

Plants will be underrepresented as this is the bird forum.

So it is - that's one of the problems of picking up interesting topics from the right-hand menu! Hadn't better start on insects then .....