Welcome to the British Trust for Ornithology | BTO

A world inspired by birds and informed by science.

Making birdwatching count

We empower 60,000 bird-enthusiasts to gather vital data, develop their skills and be part of a vibrant community.

Championing impartial science

We answer the most pressing questions about birds, through our thorough and impartial scientific research.

Sharing our bird knowledge

We communicate our knowledge and expertise to increase the value of birds and other wildlife for all.

Publication

Open access atlases

BTO has been working with volunteer-sourced atlas data for many decades. Now we are taking the bold step of making the full archive of distribution data freely available for anyone to use.

Publication

Associations between gamebird releases and general predators

Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges for commercial shoots may be boosting numbers of the avian predators and scavengers.

Blog

Garden birds: to feed or not to feed?

Almost half of the households in the UK feed their garden birds. But should we? Dr Kate Plummer explores the effects of feeding on bird populations.

WeBS counting. Photograph by Teresa Frost

Find a project

Use our project finder to find the project that matches your level of bird expertise and the time you have available.

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Garden BirdWatch

Help track the changing fortunes of our garden birds alongside 12,000 other Garden BirdWatchers

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Blog

Unlocking the science to reveal the state of nature

David Noble takes a sober look at the latest State of Nature Report.

Fitting a Goshawk with a GPS tracking device

Publication

A world informed by science: the impact of BTO in 2012–18

An assessment of the impact of BTO science over the period 2012–2018, this report was part of the evidence provided to an independent expert review panel.