Four Bird Atlases have been published, all of which are a core source of information on the distribution and abundance of British and Irish birds.
Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1968-1972
- Fieldwork period: 1968–72
- Reference: Sharrock, J.T.R. (1976) The atlas of breeding birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A.D. Poyser
A species list of birds recorded is available for all 10-km squares containing land in the UK and Ireland and whether each species definitely, probably or possibly bred in each during the survey period.
Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1981/82 - 1983/84
- Fieldwork period: 1981/82–83/84
- Reference: Lack, P.C. (1986) The atlas of wintering birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A.D. Poyser
A species list of birds recorded is available for almost all 10-km squares in the UK and Ireland. In addition, a figure for the relative abundance of each can be added, either the maximum count recorded in a day, or simplified to one of three levels of relative abundance.
Within a species these figures are comparable but they are not comparable between species. There are no data available at a finer resolution than 10-km squares.
Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988-91
- Fieldwork period: 1988–91
- Reference: Gibbons, D.W., Reid, J.B. & Chapman, R.A. (1993) The new atlas of breeding birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988-1991. T. & A.D. Poyser
A species list of birds recorded is available for all 10-km squares containing land in the UK and Ireland and whether each species definitely or probably bred or whether it possibly bred in each during the survey period. Species lists are also available for sampled tetrads.
At least eight tetrads (2 x 2 km squares) in each 10-km square were sampled for a fixed 1 or 2 hours to obtain an estimate of the relative abundance in that 10-km square. Note that these are not complete species lists for the tetrad as it is only those species recorded in the sample period.
Bird Atlas 2007-11: The Breeding and Wintering Birds of Britain and Ireland
- Fieldwork period: 2007-11
- Reference: Balmer,D., Gillings, S., Caffrey, B., Swann, B., Downie, I. & Fuller, R. 2013. Bird Atlas 2007-11: The Breeding and Wintering Birds of Britain and Ireland British Trust for Ornithology
This survey covered all 10-km squares in the UK and Ireland and in both winter and the breeding season. Fieldwork was completed following the breeding season of 2011, and the data was analysed and published in 2014.
A species list of birds recorded in winter and the breeding season, together with a figure for relative abundance in each, and whether each definitely, probably or possibly bred, will be available for each 10-km square in all of UK and Ireland. Species lists and some counts made will be available for sampled tetrads.
Breeding and wintering bird distributions in Britain and Ireland from citizen science bird atlases
- Reference: Gillings, S., Balmer, D.E., Caffrey, B.J., Downie, I.S., Gibbons, D.W., Lack, P.C., Reid, J.B., Sharrock, J.T.R., Swann, R.L. & Fuller, R.J. 2019. Breeding and wintering bird distributions in Britain and Ireland from citizen science bird atlases Global Ecology and Biogeography 28 doi: 10.1111/geb.12906
Request and use Bird Atlas data
BTO has made the full archive of distribution data used in the atlases freely available for anyone to use.