The value of seabird foraging ranges as a tool to investigate the impact of offshore wind farms

The UK’s seabirds have experienced substantial population declines in recent years, thanks to many pressures including overfishing, climate change, severe weather and most recently,

Population and distribution change of Eurasian Woodcocks Scolopax rusticola breeding in the UK: results from the 2023 ‘Breeding Woodcock Survey’

Breeding Woodcocks are difficult to monitor through traditional multi-species surveys because of their nocturnal behaviour and cryptic plumage.

Active European warzone impacts raptor migration

Collaborative research involving BTO has examined the effects of the conflict in Ukraine on the migration of the endangered Greater Spotted Eagle.

The Breeding Bird Survey 2023

The 2023 BBS report celebrates the survey’s 30th anniversary, and the commitment and dedication of nearly 9,000 volunteers who have contributed since 1994.

A family of process-based models to simulate landscape use by multiple taxa

Promoting landscapes that are better for wildlife

One way to determine where habitat restoration might most usefully occur is to use computer models to predict how changing landscapes in particular areas might best benefit different wildlife group

Not in the countryside please! Investigating UK residents’ perceptions of an introduced species, the ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

This work, carried out in collaboration with Imperial College London, the University of Exeter and the University of Brighton, revealed that 90.2% of the people surveyed were aware of Ring-necked P

Spatial variation in spring arrival patterns of Afro-Palearctic bird migration across Europe

This study looked at the variation across space in spring arrival time to Europe for 30 species of birds which winter in Africa.

Natural body size variation in seabirds provides a fundamental challenge for flight height determination by single-camera photgrammetry. A comment on Humphries et al. 2023

Uncertainty in seabird body size and its implications for studying flight height

Waterbirds in the UK 2022/23

Read the latest results of the annual Wetland Bird Survey Report and the Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme surveys.

Use of dwarf shrubland–grassland mosaics by a nomadic predatory bird, the Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus

Identifying habitat needs for Short-eared Owls

A substantial proportion of Britain’s Short-eared Owl population breeds on managed moorland, where these avian predators specialise on small mammal prey.

Seabird population and demographic monitoring in the UK: a review and recommendations for future sampling

Review of the Seabird Monitoring Programme highlights new opportunities

Current annual trend information delivered by the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP) is imprecise, absent, or geographically limited for several UK breeding seabird species.

Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2023

The benefits of protected areas for bird population trends may depend on their condition

BTO-led research highlights the importance of the quality of protected areas in their effectiveness.

BirdTrends 2023

Read BTO’s BirdTrends 2023 Report

BTO’s BirdTrends 2023 report provides summary information about the population status of the common breeding birds of the wider UK countryside.

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

Fidelity and distance to previously visited sites throughout the annual cycle in a trans-Saharan migrant, the Common Cuckoo

Research in collaboration with BTO scientists has used data from satellite-tracked adult male Cuckoos to show that although all birds returned to the same breeding grounds in consecutive years, the

Modelling population-level impacts of wind farm collision risk on Welsh Red Kites

Red Kites and onshore wind in Wales

The Welsh Red Kite population is currently in ongoing recovery after a historic decline driven by persecution, and a consequent population bottleneck during the first half of the 20th century.

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 nor

Breeding periods of hedgerow-nesting birds in England

Breeding periods of hedgerow-nesting birds in England

Characterisation, prevalence and severity of skin lesions caused by ophidiomycosis in a population of wild snakes