Overview

Waterbirds in the UK provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.

Key stories from the 2024/25 report include an overview of our wintering gull populations, as well as the latest papers and results from the Wetland Bird Survey and Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme.

The report, published on 16 April 2026, is this year’s annual report and official statistic for the BTO/RSPB/JNCC Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) and the BTO/JNCC/NatureScot Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP). It presents and analyses data about the UK’s wintering waterbird species, collected by 4,000 dedicated volunteers across the UK.

Both WeBS and GSMP have robust, long-term datasets that map the changing population size and distribution of the UK’s internationally important wintering waterbirds like ducks, geese, swans and waders. As our waders and wildfowl continue to adapt to a changing climate and other threats like disease, Waterbirds in the UK provides essential data about their movements and distribution. WeBS and GSMP are both vital components of the international collaborative effort to monitor these species on a flyway scale and inform future conservation decisions.

• Read and download the report
• View comprehensive results in the WeBS Report Online 
• More information on the results and methods