Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS)

The Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS) scheme is a national standardised ringing programme within the BTO Ringing Scheme that has been running since 1999.

Ringers aim to catch or re-sight at least 50 adult birds of a single species in a study area during the breeding season. The study area is well defined and the ringer is aiming to record the vast majority of the adults.

There are approximately 200 projects throughout Britain and Ireland on species as diverse as House Sparrow, Moorhen, Pied Flycatcher and Manx Shearwater. The RAS results page provides a full list of the species covered.

RAS is used to give adult survival rates and is particularly useful for those species not widely covered by CES. 

The Partners

Retrapping Adults for Survival is funded by a partnership of the BTO, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee on behalf of the statutory nature conservation bodies (Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland. 

It is also part of the BTO Ringing Scheme which is funded by the BTO /JNCC Partnership, The National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland) and the ringers themselves.



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