Press releases
Over-half of the world’s curlew and godwit species face extinction from habitat loss and other pressures.
March 2017
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A missing predator: Sparrowhawks absent from gardens this winter
February 2017
Sparrowhawk by Richard Winston It’s been a year of mixed fortunes for Sparrowhawk, with the highest recorded average counts in gardens last January, followed by the lowest-ever numbers for December, as reported by British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Garden BirdWatch survey...
Gull decline on Scottish island linked to decline in fishing discards
January 2017
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Sounding them out: a unique conservation tool for monitoring bush-crickets
January 2017
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Why are you still awake? Rise in Hedgehog sightings due to late start to winter
January 2017
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Breeding birds struggle with wet 2016
December 2016
Information collected by British Trust for Ornithology volunteers show that 2016 was a poor breeding season for many bird species, in part due to periods of heavy spring and summer rainfall...
Smartbirds - understanding how gulls behave through high-tech backpacks
October 2016
In a bid to understand how the amber-listed Lesser Black-backed Gull behaves around offshore wind farms, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has partnered with DONG Energy to carry out a study of the species off the Cumbrian coast...
The Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder of the Year
September 2016
Fifteen year-old George Dunbar, from Cheshire, was named Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder of the Year, at the 2016 Spurn Migration Festival, ahead of four other young finalists and thirty young birders who entered this year's competition...
British Trust for Ornithology Press Statement - Pennine Grouse Moor survey report
August 2016
A bird survey that was reported to have taken place on a managed grouse moor in the Pennines has been widely quoted in the media this week...
Forget Boaty McBoatface – Flappy McFlapperson is on the move
July 2016
Named as part of a competition by schoolchildren at the Dulwich International School in Beijing, China, Flappy McFlapperson is a satellite tag wearing Cuckoo that is helping the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Chinese scientists gather information on Beijing’s Cuckoos...
Satellite-tracking study links population declines to Cuckoo's choice of migration route
July 2016
A study tracking the migrations of Common Cuckoos with tiny satellite tags, carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) over the past five years, has made a series of stunning discoveries...
A Devon Cuckoo Needs a Name
July 2016
A Cuckoo, recently fitted with a satellite tag in Devon by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in order to track its migration to and from Africa, currently goes by the endearing name of Cuckoo 161319...
A Hampshire Cuckoo needs a name
July 2016
Two Cuckoos have recently been fitted with satellite tags in Hampshire by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in order to track their migration to and from Africa...
Tagging unlocks the secret lives of St Ives’ gulls
July 2016
A newly-published paper in Ringing & Migration, the journal of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Ringing Scheme, explains how state-of-the art GPS tags have unlocked the secrets of four Herring Gulls nesting on the rooftops of St Ives, Cornwall, a seaside resort where gulls can be unpopular with residents and visitors alike during the summer months...
Welsh Yellowhammers in long-term decline
July 2016
Since 1994, Yellowhammer numbers have declined by 57% in Wales...
Winning Willow Warblers
July 2016
A population increase of 73% between 1995 and 2014 has been revealed for the Willow Warbler in Northern Ireland in the latest Breeding Bird Survey report...
Scotland's warblers doing well
July 2016
In the latest Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) report – released today – Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat show large, long-term population increases in Scotland...
Turtle Dove population in a tailspin
July 2016
The latest Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) report published today has revealed that Turtle Dove numbers have hit a new low, declining by 93% since 1994...
Cuckoo class of 2016 Backpack carrying birds helping to help save their own kind
June 2016
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Work begins on the Nunnery Lakes Discovery Trail in Thetford thanks to Tesco’s Bags of Help campaign
June 2016
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has started work on its Nunnery Lakes Discovery Trail project in Thetford following its successful award of £12,000 from Tesco’s Bags of Help campaign...
Calling all young birders
June 2016
As part of the Spurn Bird Observatory Trust (SBOT) 2016 Migration Festival, SBOT, the Next Generation Birders (NGB) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) are running a competition to find the Observatory’s Young Birder of The Year...
Want to attract Goldfinches? Sunflower hearts are the answer!
June 2016
Goldfinches are being seen at garden bird feeders in ever-greater numbers, and the key attraction for them is sunflower hearts, according to an investigation into the increase of this colourful garden visitor...
The sad demise of Stanley
June 2016
In May 2014, Stanley the Cuckoo had a satellite tag fitted by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), joining a cohort of birds that would hopefully provide information to help to slow down, or reverse the dramatic decline the species is experiencing...
Unusual number of birds in gardens during April cold snap
May 2016
At this time of year most birds are starting to think about raising young, and many head out of gardens for that purpose...
