Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules

Cross population comparison of complex migration strategies in a declining oceanic seabird

Arctic Skuas are long-distance migrant seabirds that have seen large declines in breeding numbers across areas of the north-east Atlantic. Part of these declines has been attributed to poor food...

Challenges in quantifying the responses of Black-legged Kittiwake to habitat variables and local stressors due to individual variation

During the 2021 breeding season, BTO scientists tracked 20 Kittiwakes, fitted with small GPS devices, from Whinnyfold – part of the Buchan Ness to Collieston Coast Special Protection Area – in...

Behavioural responses of Sandwich terns following the construction of offshore wind farms

Between 2016 and 2019, BTO scientists fitted Sandwich Terns breeding at Scolt Head Island in Norfolk with long-life GPS tags which tracked the birds’ movements over multiple years. When the...

Flight heights obtained from GPS versus altimeters influence estimates of collision risk with offshore wind turbines in Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus

As previous BTO research has shown, bird-borne tracking devices are essential for shedding light on seabird flight behaviour. Different methods for gathering flight height information within tracking...

Reduced breeding success in Great Black-backed Gulls Larus marinus due to harness-mounted GPS device

Studies involving fitting animals with bio-logging devices have provided essential information on behaviour, ecology, physiology and ultimately species conservation. Much BTO research in recent years...

Using satellite data to assess spatial drivers of bird diversity

Acoustic monitoring reveals new records for key species

A global biological conservation horizon scan of issues for 2023

Daily, seasonal and annual variation in area use of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) related to offshore renewable developments

Thoracic harnesses are not suitable for Kittiwake tagging studies.

Biologging devices including GPS and satellite tags, which attach to individual animals and collect information on their movements, are increasingly deployed in ecology and conservation research....

Connectivity between countries established by landbirds and raptors migrating along the African-Eurasian flyway

Each year, more than two billion birds migrate along the African-Eurasian flyway. The increasing availability of tracking technology, involving attaching very small devices to migrant songbirds, has...

Curlew are highly faithful to a small winter range, a finding which will inform conservation management for this Red-listed species.

In a collaborative study led by the University of Hull, BTO scientists aimed to find out more by establishing the overwinter home range size (the size of the space used by the birds during winter) of...

Exciting research conducted by an international team shines a new light on Swift migration.

Tracking Lesser Black-backed Gull behaviour around wind farms

GPS technology data reveals a detailed picture which may be used to inform future collision risk assessments when new offshore developments are proposed. 

Bailiwick Bat Survey 2021 Report

Development of a weak-link wing harness for use on large gulls (Laridae): methodology, evaluation and recommendations

Better utilisation and transparency of bird data collected by powerline companies

The continued increase in global energy demand requires expanding networks of power supply. High-voltage overhead powerlines, however, pose a collision and electrocution risk to some bird species if...

GPS tracking reveals landfill closures induce higher foraging effort and habitat switching in gulls

During the 20th century, gull populations across the globe increased rapidly in response to human activities, with the availability of waste food in landfill sites a key driver of their success....

Nocturnal thrushes affected by artificial light

New research from BTO has investigated the effect of artificial light at night on birds, indicating that nocturnal migrants are attracted to more brightly lit areas.

Spatial patterns of weed dispersal by wintering gulls within and beyond an agricultural landscape

Long‐distance migrants vary migratory behaviour as much as short‐distance migrants: an individual‐level comparison from a seabird species with diverse migration strategies

Carryover effects of long-distance avian migration are weaker than effects of breeding environment in a partially migratory bird

Assessing the effects of wind farms on wildlife

New research involving BTO has developed a framework to identify how wildlife might be affected by renewable energy developments.