This is the 31st annual report of the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS), documenting the population abundance trends of widespread UK breeding bird species during the periods 1994–2025 and 1998–2025 respectively. These are the main schemes for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s widespread breeding birds, providing an important indicator of the health of the countryside. The results are published annually as Official Statistics and used widely by Defra and the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs, e.g. Natural England and NatureScot) to set priorities and to inform conservation action, and as the evidence base against which the UK’s biodiversity targets are measured. BBS data are also routinely used in research, with recent examples including peer-reviewed papers published in 2022 and 2024, which measured the efficacy of the UK’s network of protected areas in supporting wildlife. In this report The 2025 Breeding Bird Survey Report highlights the varying fortunes of four of the UK’s widely monitored wild doves and pigeons. Whilst Stock Dove and Woodpigeon are faring well – Stock Dove has increased by over 40% in the last 10 years – the Turtle Dove decline shows no sign of abating, and Collared Dove has declined by around 40% since 2005. In Scotland, species of woodland and scrub – including Willow Warbler, Tree Pipit and Bullfinch – continue to increase, whilst populations further south in Britain are declining. In Wales, there are mixed fortunes. Woodland species such as Great Spotted Woodpecker have increased over threefold, and Nuthatch has increased by 55%, since 1995. Meanwhile, Curlew and Yellowhammer continue to decline. In Northern Ireland, which sees a change of baseline for monitoring trends from 1994 to 1996, the pattern of increasing Song Thrush (+75%, 1997–2024) and declining Mistle Thrush (-35%) highlights a UK-wide pattern for these two closely related species. Several species are not monitored by BBS in Northern Ireland, particularly farmland birds such as Kestrel, Curlew and Yellowhammer, and additional efforts are underway to improve monitoring in these declining species. The 2025 season was also noteworthy for seeing a record number of 1-km squares being visited, with over 2,800 surveyors visiting 4,058 sites. We thank these skilled and dedicated volunteers who give their time to BBS and WBBS and make the monitoring of the UK’s breeding birds possible. Read and download the 2025 reportOr, browse all editions of the Breeding Bird Survey Report

Climate and land-use change have already contributed to species declines and extinctions in Great Britain, and are expected to cause further substantial alterations in plant and animal communities. More extinctions are likely even under optimistic scenarios, partly due to accumulating extinction debts. Reducing emissions and moving towards a more sustainable society could help ‘bend the curve’ of biodiversity loss, but this study shows that the actions taken during the next 20 years will be crucial.

The primary tool by which wader conservation is delivered in farmed landscapes is agri-environment schemes, whereby payments incentivise land managers to conduct beneficial management for species or habitats. Assessments of the effectiveness of such schemes have been based on infrequent, large-scale surveys which do not produce landscape- or intervention-specific evidence to facilitate local adaptations to the design of agri-environment schemes. This report details work carried out at 10 participating farms in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where we trialled two methods that could help to evaluate the effectiveness of scheme measures at regional scales.

This report is the published outcome of the work of the Northern Ireland Seabird Network — a network of volunteers, researchers and organisations — coordinated by the BTO Seabird Coordinator, and funded by NIEA. It contains detailed species accounts for the 22 breeding seabird species in Northern Ireland, as well as articles on a range of topics: Manx Shearwaters nesting on Rathlin Rathlin Island Breeding Seabird Census 2025 Tracking Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Lough Neagh Puffins return to Isle of Muck Outer Ards: 2025 Seabird Nesting Report Strangford Lough: 2025 Seabird Nesting Report Forthcoming seabird research work: ACCLIMATISE project

Connecting Constable and Gainsborough Country is a DEFRA-funded Landscape Recovery project. This report describes the use of passive acoustic monitoring to assess the status and distribution of birds, bats, terrestrial small mammals, and bush-crickets across the Stour, Brett, and Box valleys in south Suffolk. The project supports habitat restoration and woodland connectivity, with a focus on rare or declining species of conservation concern, including the Hazel Dormouse, informed by robust monitoring.

The annual report of the Seabird Monitoring Programme View and download the report Read the report online This report presents the latest seabird population trends in breeding abundance and productivity using data from the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP). It documents changes in the abundance and productivity of breeding seabird species in Britain and Ireland from 1986 to 2024. This report includes both inland and coastal populations and trends from the Channel Islands, England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, which are presented where sufficient data are available. The results from this report are used more broadly to assess the health of the wider environment, to inform policy and for conservation action.

An easy-access data package combining land-cover, soil and climate data across the UK, produced as part of PhD research on scenario modelling, with BTO co-supervision.