Black Hairstreak (Satyrium pruni)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > insect - butterfly > Butterfly |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Not Relevant) [EN(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Satyrium pruni |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Fox & Dennis, 2021 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | GB Red List (Fox et al. 2022): EN. 348% increase in abundance since 1995 and a 76% short-term (10 year 2010-2019) decline; 33% long-term decline in distribution since 2002 and a 19% short-term decline (Fox et al. 2023) |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Requirement for much older Blackthorn, not always provided by standard hedgerow management |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Good practice rotational hedgerow management which retains older Blackthorn alongside Blackthorn planting is required. Retention of woodland edge with mature Blackthorn present. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - insufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Increase advice to landowners on appropriate hedgerow/woodland edge management to ensure retention of Blackthorn at different age structures and on long-term rotational management
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Investigate the application of UV technology in improving monitoring and survey methods for larval and pupal stages to improve understanding of host plant and habitat needs for this species so as to better inform management practices.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments: Harnessing a new technology to improve autecological understanding and better ways to monitor the species.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Carry out landscape-scale habitat management and habitat creation across the species' range of Black Hairstreak; ensure existing habitat is managed to retain and variation in structure and age of blackthorn hedgerows and woodland edge and that new areas of suitable habitat are created by planting up with blackthorn, particularly utilising opportunities for mitigation proposals in the core area for this species where blackthorn has been lost due to development.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Landscape/catchment/marine management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.