Press releases
The early bird catches the worm
January 2014
Do you feed your garden birds? Are you willing to get up early in the name of science? If so, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) needs your help on 9th January to determine whether light pollution affects the feeding behaviour of our garden birds on winter mornings...
Where are all the thrushes?
December 2013
Every winter hundreds of thousands of thrushes leave continental Europe to spend the winter months on this side of the North Sea...
Garden butterfly boom
November 2013
After a run of dismal summers, not to mention a late start to spring this year, our butterflies were sorely in need of a spell of dry, warm weather...
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...
Nesting birds turn the clocks back 50 years after cold spring
December 2013
After several decades of rising temperatures, the cold spring of 2013 harked back to the typical weather conditions of the mid-1960s...
Scotland - still a bonnie place for birds?
November 2013
One of the most ambitious volunteer projects ever undertaken, to map all of Britain & Ireland’s birds in both winter and the breeding season, and from every part of these islands, is realised with the publication of the Bird Atlas 2007–11, and the results are compelling...
Turbulent times for Ireland's birds
November 2013
One of the most ambitious volunteer projects ever undertaken, to map all of Britain and Ireland’s birds in both winter and the breeding season, is realised with the publication of the Bird Atlas 2007–11, and the results are surprising...
All change for birds in Wales
November 2013
One of the most ambitious volunteer projects ever undertaken, to map all of Britain and Irelands birds in both winter and the breeding season, and from every part of these islands, is realised with the publication of the Bird Atlas 2007–11, and the results are surprising...
Seabird breeding highlights impact of commercial fisheries in the North Sea
November 2013
New research led by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shows that the UK’s internationally important seabird populations are being affected by fishing activities in the North Sea...
All change for Britain's birds - Bird Atlas 2007-11
November 2013
One of the most ambitious volunteer projects ever undertaken, to map all of our birds in both winter and the breeding season, and from every part of Britain and Ireland, is realised today with the publication of the Bird Atlas 2007–11, and the results are surprising...
Birds moving back into gardens
November 2013
Our gardens have been bereft of birds for the last few months but now that the colder weather is here, things are changing...
High flying birds at greater risk of collision with offshore wind turbines
November 2013
New research reveals that most seabirds fly near the sea surface, avoiding collision with wind turbines by flying under the blades...
Britain's nature networks provide hope for birds threatened by climate change
November 2013
New research provides strong evidence that internationally important British bird populations are being affected by climate change, which will threaten their long-term conservation status...
Bird surveys reveal population changes - for mammals!
October 2013
A new study, published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research, looks at the first 18 years’ data collected by Breeding Bird Survey volunteers to investigate how the populations of nine species of common mammal have changed at national and regional scales during this time...
New hope for two of the most threatened birds in the world
October 2013
Press Release from the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force Shanghai, (Seoul, Tokyo, Moscow, London, Berlin, Denver) 29 October 2013 An international survey team found a sensational record total of 140 Spoon-billed Sandpiper and 1,200 Nordmann’s Greenshank, two of the rarest and most threatened birds of the world in Rudong Jinagsu Province on the Chinese coastline...
Marsh International Award for Ornithology
October 2013
The first International Award for Ornithology was presented to Lars Svensson yesterday evening (30 October) by Professor Ian Newton, BTO Chairman, and Jo Winyard and Professor Bill Sutherland, on behalf of The Marsh Christian Trust...
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...
Marsh Award for Innovative Ornithology
October 2013
The Marsh Award for Innovative Ornithology was presented to Dr Christian Rutz yesterday evening (30 October) by Professor Ian Newton, BTO Chairman, and Jo Winyard and Professor Bill Sutherland, on behalf of The Marsh Christian Trust...
Marsh Award for Ornithology
October 2013
The Marsh Award for Ornithology was presented to Dr Jane Reid yesterday evening (30 October) by Professor Ian Newton, BTO Chairman and Jo Winyard and Professor Bill Sutherland, on behalf of The Marsh Christian Trust...
Dilys Breese Medal
October 2013
John Ingham was presented with the Dilys Breese Medal by Baroness Barbara Young, the BTO’s President, yesterday evening (30 October)...
A tale of two pigeons
October 2013
One of our common garden bird species is quietly disappearing, whilst another is rising to take its place...
Good news for House Sparrows
September 2013
During the last few decades, the population of House Sparrows has declined by roughly half, causing great alarm amongst both scientists and the general public...
Changing fortunes for our winter birds
September 2013
Last winter was a trial for us all, and our garden birds did not have an easy time of it either...
Gardens aflutter with Small Tortoiseshells
September 2013
The long spell of hot, dry weather seems to have reversed the damage done by last year’s wet summer, and our butterflies are making the most of it...
Bye-bye Blackbird
September 2013
A question that the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Garden Ecology Team hears a lot at this time of year is ‘Where have all my birds gone?’ One of the most conspicuous disappearances from British gardens at the end of the summer is that of the Blackbird...
Collared Doves thriving in Northern Ireland
July 2013
Collared Doves first bred in the UK in 1955, and have since dramatically spread across all of Britain and Ireland...
All change in the finch family; Siskins and Lesser Redpolls increase while Greenfinches decline
July 2013
Many householders have become familiar with the sight of Siskins and Lesser Redpolls on their garden bird feeders in recent years, and the latest figures from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) confirm that numbers of both these small finches are increasing nationally...
Woodpecker worries in Wales
July 2013
Despite doing well in other parts of the UK, Green Woodpeckers numbers fell by around 20% in Wales between 2011 and 2012, according to the latest figures from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)...
Swift screams silenced in Scotland
July 2013
The shrill calls of Swifts wheeling above towns and cities are some of the sounds of summer...
Eighty years and counting!
July 2013
Eighty years ago, on 1 July 1933, a group of birdwatchers wrote to the editor of The Times, announcing the formation of The British Trust for Ornithology and asking for public support for “a scheme of research over an initial period of five years...
