Press releases
New wave of bird flu rips through threatened gull and tern colonies
June 2023
The recent spread of Avian Influenza among threatened gulls and terns is gathering pace, say experts from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)...
And they’re off! 2023’s Cuckoos are tagged and ready to go
June 2023
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has fitted 10 more Cuckoos with state-of-the-art satellite tags, allowing scientists and the general public to track their annual migration to central Africa and back...
The search is on to find the UK’s most knowledgeable young birders!
May 2023
Apply now for this year's Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder competition, held at Spurn MigFest in East Yorkshire from 8–10 September...
Fears grow around new wave of Avian Influenza as disease kills thousands of inland gulls
May 2023
Avian Influenza is killing large numbers of Black-headed Gulls at inland and coastal breeding colonies across central and northern England, prompting fears among scientists that a new wave of the disease could be building...
73 million birds gone since 1970 – but which have vanished near you?
May 2023
The UK is home to 73 million fewer birds today than it was in 1970, according to research from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) published today, International Dawn Chorus Day...
He's back! First tracked Cuckoo of the 2023 makes landfall in the UK
April 2023
The first Cuckoo from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Cuckoo Tracking Project to arrive back in the UK reached his breeding grounds in Wales over the weekend, researchers revealed today...
New report paints a mixed picture for Northern Ireland’s internationally important seabirds
March 2023
The tenth annual Northern Ireland Seabird Report has been published today by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)...
Bird flu report spotlights impact of the disease on UK wild birds
March 2023
Following a meeting of more than 100 experts, a report into the continuing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI or ‘bird flu’) outbreak has been published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)...
Act now to save migratory birds, scientists say
February 2023
A new paper by RSPB and BTO researchers calls for the focus to shift from diagnosis to treatment of migrant bird declines Birds that breed in Europe and winter in Africa have declined by more than 25% since 1980, though the reasons why remain unclear Measures including tree planting and protection from hunting are likely to have a positive impact We must act now to stop the long-term declines of birds that migrate between Europe and Africa, argues a new peer-reviewed study by scientists from the RSPB and British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)...
45-year-old seabird highlights impact of avian influenza
September 2022
At 45 years old, a Fulmar recorded on an uninhabited Scottish island is one of the oldest of its kind ever recorded...
Record summer for ‘hummingbirds’ in UK gardens
August 2022
Data from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch survey, carried out by volunteers across the UK, show a fourfold increase in the number of gardens recording a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, making 2022 a record year...
Some Don't Like it Hot
July 2022
New research from BTO implicates rising temperatures in the steep decline of the Willow Warbler, one of the UK’s most tuneful harbingers of spring...
Swallows have started spending the winter in Britain instead of migrating 6,000 miles to South Africa, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.
March 2022
The change in behaviour is one of the most remarkable signs yet of the warming world being caused by climate change, according to the BTO’s Chief Executive, Juliet Vickery...
Volunteers provide vital new information on the UK's breeding Tawny Owls
February 2022
Thanks to the efforts of nearly 10,000 'citizen scientists' we now have a much greater understanding of the UK's breeding Tawny Owls, together with much-needed information on their calling behaviour, that will help future surveys of the species...
Artificial intelligence discovers rare bat
August 2021
A passive bat detector, left outside to automatically trigger and record bat calls as they fly over, set up in a garden in West Sussex as part of the Chichester Bat Recording Project, has recorded the social calls of the extremely rare Kuhl’s Pipistrelle...
Scottish Ornithologists’ Club recognised with prestigious award
October 2020
The Marsh Award for Local Ornithology has been awarded to the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for its innovative ‘Where to Watch birds in Scotland’ app...
It’s official – the Wren is our commonest bird
February 2020
In the latest report looking at the size of our bird populations the Wren tops the list with 11 million pairs across the UK...
Welsh Yellowhammers in long-term decline
July 2016
Since 1994, Yellowhammer numbers have declined by 57% in Wales...
He who shall hurt the little Wren, shall never be beloved by men
December 2013
The Wren is a familiar sight in our gardens but you’d be forgiven for not giving it a second thought, especially when the festive Robin is around...
Marsh Award for Local Ornithology
October 2013
The Marsh Local Ornithology Award was presented to Dr Jim Cassels of Arran Natural History Society (ANHS) yesterday evening (30 October) by Professor Ian Newton, BTO Chair, and Jo Winyard and Professor Bill Sutherland, on behalf of The Marsh Christian Trust...
‘Angry birds’ spotted in gardens
January 2013
Thousands of Blackcaps, migrant warblers from central Europe, are ruffling feathers in British and Irish gardens...
