The wagtail is no longer a regular visitor to Britain’s gardens as its populations is in long-term decline, warns a new report.

The latest Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) annual report revealed that numbers are falling of all three UK breeding wagtail species.

However, researchers say the reasons behind the trend are unclear.

Yellow Wagtails in severe decline, a 43 per cent reduction between 1995 and 2012

The three wagtail species spotted on our shores are the Yellow Wagtail, a farmland bird that migrates to sub-Saharan Africa, and two which largely remain in the UK over the winter, the Grey Wagtail, a river specialist, and the familiar Pied Wagtail.

Researchers said the races of both Pied and Yellow Wagtail breeding in the UK nest almost nowhere else in the world.

Yellow Wagtails are in severe decline, and these latest BBS figures reveal a 43 per cent reduction between 1995 and 2012. Researchers suggest that changes in agricultural practices have driven this decline, but the species is a long-distance migrant so conditions overseas cannot be ruled out.

Grey Wagtail, which has been on the Amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern since 2002, has shown a decline of 32 per cent since the start of the survey and Pied Wagtail a shallower decline of 11 per cent, the researchers said.

They added that both Grey and Pied Wagtail BBS trends match closely those of the more riverine focused Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS) which has recorded a rapid decline of both species along rivers and canals. They said that the Pied Wagtail decline is steeper in the WBBS trends than the BBS trends, which covers all habitats, suggesting that there might be a common factor affecting both species relating to the riverine habitat.

Researchers said the races of both Pied )above) and Yellow Wagtail breeding in the UK nest almost nowhere else in the world

Sarah Harris, BBS Organiser at the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “I find it fascinating that three seemingly similar birds, the Yellow, Grey and Pied Wagtail can lead such different lives and face such a variety of challenges.

“With the UK races of two of these species - Pied and Yellow Wagtails - being largely confined to our islands, these population changes are of global conservation significance.”

She added: “The Breeding Bird Survey is an invaluable tool for assessing the annual and long-term population trends of common UK breeding birds and can be used as a baseline for further, more species-specific research.

“Of course, none of the 110 UK species trends would be possible without the thousands of dedicated BBS volunteers carrying out the survey across the UK.”

Dr Mark Eaton, Principal Conservation Scientist at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), added: “This survey is most valuable for showing us trends stretching back nearly 20 years.

“However, it is also provides a snapshot into changes between years, and this report reveals that 2012 was clearly a bad year for some of our breeding birds.

“A cold spring followed by the wettest summer on record have to be prime candidates for why many species showed a significant decline in 2013. Of the 36 species which showed a significant change in numbers between 2012 and 2013, 34 decreased. For some species, such as turtle dove, these recent falls compound long-term declines.”

Researchers added that the 1995-2012 BBS trends for Grey Partridge and Skylark show that both of these farmland species remain in decline, falling by 56 per cent and 24 per cent respectively. They added that research into both species has identified agricultural intensification as a key factor in their decline, and management solutions that are effective at local scales have been developed for each.