Press releases
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...
Scotland’s upland birds need outdoor enthusiasts
June 2013
We need the help of hill walkers, estate workers and other outdoor folk in order to monitor upland birds...
Follow that Cuckoo
June 2013
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has just launched the Cuckoo class of 2013, as part of their exciting research into the decline of this iconic bird...
Woodpeckers produce more youngsters when given extra food
June 2013
Providing extra food in early spring led to earlier egg laying and increased productivity for the Great Spotted Woodpecker...
Help find Britain’s martins
May 2013
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is appealing for help in finding one of our closest summer neighbours, the House Martin...
Where on Earth do British House Martins go?
May 2013
It is one of ornithology’s greatest mysteries but also one that the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) hopes to answer using the very latest that technology has to offer...
Hedgehogs slow to get going this spring
March 2013
Latest results from the BTO Garden BirdWatch survey have revealed that British Hedgehogs are emerging from hibernation very late this spring...
How did the 2012 downpours affect nesting in garden birds and what will 2013 hold?
April 2013
After contending with an exceptionally wet spring and summer, in most parts of the UK last year, how will birds nesting in our gardens fare in 2013? Help the BTO find out by taking part in the Nest Box Challenge (NBC)...
Another one bites the crust: struggling birds turn to feeders
March 2013
Thousands of birds are homing in on garden feeding stations as Arctic conditions persist...
Garden birdwatchers are seeing red
March 2013
The delicate Lesser Redpoll is sweeping into a record number of gardens this spring, thrilling householders as it goes...
Garden birds indicate widespread failure in seed crops
February 2013
Annual results from the weekly BTO Garden BirdWatch, which have just been published, reveal a significant movement of Jay, Nuthatch and Coal Tit into gardens during Autumn 2012, suggestive of a widespread failure in the seed crops of various trees...
Green gauge: finches go to seed
February 2013
Twice as many Siskins as normal are currently visiting the nation’s gardens...
Give a bird a home - National Nest Box Week 14-21 February 2013
February 2013
Valentine’s Day 2013 will see the start of the sixteenth annual National Nest Box Week (NNBW), organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and sponsored by Jacobi Jayne, during which people across the UK are being asked to put up nest boxes for our birds...
Farming in the tropics: how can both food production and biodiversity be maximised?
February 2013
Increases in human population and food consumption are likely to lead to greatly increased agricultural demand in coming decades...
Citizen Scientists reveal how snow brings birds into gardens
January 2013
Participants in the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) weekly Garden BirdWatch survey have revealed just how big an impact the recent spell of snowy weather has had on our feathered friends...
Industrious bird ringers monitor industrial Waxwings
January 2013
When it comes to birdwatching hotspots, industrial estates might not be the first sites that spring to mind...
‘Angry birds’ spotted in gardens
January 2013
Thousands of Blackcaps, migrant warblers from central Europe, are ruffling feathers in British and Irish gardens...
What's red, brown and white all over?
December 2012
Santa Robin! This remarkable bird has been spotted through the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Abnormal Plumage Survey...
Rain stopped play: 2012 breeding season worst on record for many nesting birds
November 2012
The legacy of the atrocious summer weather on Britian & Ireland’s human population is still very much in evidence, and reports of reductions in invertebrate numbers, from bees to butterflies have been rife; but how did birds fare? Thanks to British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) volunteers, who braved the elements throughout the 2012 breeding season to collect the data summarised below, we have been able to construct a very accurate picture of one of the worst breeding seasons on record...
New strain of bird virus sweeps across Britain
November 2012
A new strain of avian pox is taking its toll on garden birds in Britain, reports new research published this week in PLOS ONE...
