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More UK streets are being named after birds, is yours?

A skylark at its nest with its young.Image source, Getty Images
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More and more streets across the country are being named after bird species, new research has found.

A new study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) discovered a big increase in the number of streets in new developments which include names such as Skylark, Starling and Swift.

However, the charity warns that many of these species are actually declining in the wild.

They hope that more will be done to protect wildlife and the places they need to thrive.

Starling.Image source, Getty Images

The research was carried out by the RSPB using twenty years of data, between 2004 to 2024, from the Ordnance Survey mapping agency.

The charity discovered that the largest increase were streets named for skylarks - which had gone up 350%.

Other species that are on the rise in terms of street names include starling, lapwing, swift, puffin and nightingale.

However, the charity warned that all these species are on the red list of conservation concern, with all suffering a decrease in numbers in the UK in recent decades.

For example, the population of skylarks has dropped by 53% over the past 50 years.

Wild flowers in a meadow.Image source, Getty Images

The charity says it wants to see more action taken to help support bird species and their environments.

RSPB President Dr Amir Khan explained: "It's no surprise to see use of nature names and motifs in road names increasing when we know nature brings us a sense of connection and supports our wellbeing.

"But a road name is no replacement for the real thing, " he added, saying it's a reminder of why he wants to "push to keep protections for our most precious places and species."