Press releases
Meadow Pipits get a break
July 2015
The latest Breeding Bird Survey report shows how the mild winter of 2013/14 was a welcome change for Northern Ireland’s birds after the cold spring of 2013...
Stonechats bounce back in Wales
July 2015
The latest Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) report, released today, reveals good news for Welsh birds, with several species bouncing back in 2014 after being badly affected by the cold spring of 2013...
Research delivers new tools for understanding why Britain’s bird populations are in decline
July 2015
Researchers at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) have delivered a powerful new tool which will help target conservation efforts to support declining populations of woodland and farmland bird species...
Bird scientists go batty in Norfolk
July 2015
New research from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) just published in the international journal Biological Conservation, shows how data collected by an army of volunteer citizen scientists have been used to map bats in unprecedented detail...
BTO's longest-running census goes online
June 2015
The Heronries Census, run by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), counted its first Grey Heron nest way back in 1928; 400,000 nests later it has gone digital...
Eight more Cuckoos join the fight for their species
June 2015
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) have fitted state of the art satellite tags to eight more Cuckoos during the last few weeks to help understand why this iconic bird is disappearing from large parts of the UK...
Over 7 million* schoolchildren are being asked to get their hands dirty for science
June 2015
As part of a new partnership, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and EDF Energy are asking schools across Britain to take part in a scientific study that will for the first time map what is under our feet...
European birds at risk of extinction
June 2015
Nature alert: Nearly one in five bird species in Europe is at risk of extinction according to the European Red List of Birds, compiled by BirdLife International and using data gathered by BTO volunteers...
Novel research will unravel Europe-wide patterns of bird migration and distribution
June 2015
The EuroBirdPortal (EBP) project and its demo viewer (www...
Warm weather boost for butterflies
May 2015
Despite variable weather so far this spring, all it takes is a few days of warm sunshine for butterfly numbers to rocket...
House Martin help needed in Northern Ireland
May 2015
The House Martin, a bird that nests under the eaves of buildings, has increased in Northern Ireland by a massive 82% since 1995, giving more people in Northern Ireland the chance to observe this delightful summer visitor on their homes...
House Martin help needed in Scotland
May 2015
The House Martin, a bird that nests under the eaves of buildings, has increased in Scotland by a massive 125% since 1995, giving more people in Scotland the chance to observe this delightful summer visitor on their homes...
New research to help farmland birds
May 2015
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has launched a new appeal today to help tackle the continuing decline of many once familiar farmland birds...
Britain’s most famous Cuckoo is back!
April 2015
A Cuckoo named Chris, after the wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham, has defied all the odds and returned to his Suffolk home for the fifth summer since he was fitted with a satellite-tag to follow his amazing journey...
BTO Cuckoos are back!
April 2015
Two of the British Trust for Ornithology satellite-tagged Cuckoos have made it back to the UK, having left for the winter in Africa ten months earlier...
New report highlights the value of the UK's wetlands
April 2015
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Offshore wind farm risk to seabirds varies between years
April 2015
Offshore wind farms are now operating or being constructed all around the UK as the government invests in renewable energy, but what are the consequences of such developments for our wildlife? New research by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has used state-of-the-art GPS tags to show how Lesser Black-backed Gulls breeding at a protected site in Suffolk use areas of sea where offshore wind farms already exist, and where future developments are earmarked...
What's happening to Buckinghamshire's Dunnocks?
April 2015
Due to the breeding population decline of Dunnocks in the UK over the past 45 years, this ‘common garden visitor’ has been given an amber conservation status...
Garden Long-tailed Tits buck the trend
April 2015
It’s always a delight to have Long-tailed Tits in the garden...
Starlings are disappearing in Greater Manchester
March 2015
Since 1980, Starling numbers have significantly and consistently declined in Greater Manchester and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch needs the public to help...
Garden BirdWatchers deliver a staggering 20 years of citizen science
March 2015
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch survey is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, thanks to the dedication of its participants...
Good news for garden birds
March 2015
2014 was a good year for garden birds, though maybe not for garden birdwatchers! Thanks to decent weather and plenty of resources, gardens were not inundated with our common garden birds according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch...
Chasing a changing climate
February 2015
Is it better to live in the north or the south? It’s a question that even birds are struggling to answer as the climate in different parts of Britain changes in a variety of ways...
Citizen science boxers fight climate change
February 2015
It may still seem like the depths of winter, but many of our birds are already gearing up for the breeding season...
Don’t be late for the table! Fast food is favoured by urban gulls
February 2015
Black-headed Gulls in urban environments are better at responding to human foods than their rural counterparts, shows new research in Bird Study; the Journal of the British Trust for Ornithology...
Missing: Garden Finches
January 2015
This winter has seen incredibly low numbers of Siskins, a small finch that traditionally turns to our gardens for food during the winter, according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch...
Bad news for backyard biodiversity
January 2015
Global biodiversity loss has hit the headlines with worrying frequency during the latter part of 2014, be it the rate at which Amazonian rainforests are being felled or the increase in poaching pressure on African elephants and the northern white rhino...
Santa is still alive - Robin that is!
December 2014
Thanks to a relatively mild start to the year, a bumper breeding season, and plenty of food available in the wider countryside this autumn, it’s been a good year for Robins, including the extraordinary Santa Robin! Robin Santa 06 Golden Valley 21-01-14 Ian W (1)-200px...
Seabirds steer to avoid collision course with offshore wind farms
December 2014
Collisions between birds and turbines are seen as one of the key impacts of offshore wind farms...
