Featured Publication
Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2021/22: The Wetland Bird Survey and Goose & Swan Monitoring Programme
2023 | Austin, G.E., Calbrade, N.A., Birtles, G.A., Peck, K., Wotton, S.R., Shaw, J.M., Balmer, D.E. & Frost, T.M.
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Latest Publications
The Breeding Bird Survey Report
The Breeding Bird Survey 2022
Population trends of the UK’s breeding birds
2023 | Heywood, J.J.N., Massimino, D., Balmer, D.E., Kelly, L., Noble, D.G., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Woodcock, P., Wotton, S., Gillings, S. & Harris, S.J.
Peer-reviewed papers
Trends in butterfly populations in UK gardens - new evidence from citizen science monitoring
Butterflies find safe haven in UK gardens
2023 | Plummer, K.E., Dadam, D., Brereton, T., Dennis, E.B., Massimino, D., Risely, K., Siriwardena, G.M. & Toms, M.P. Insect Conservation and Diversity
BTO Garden BirdWatch (GBW) is the UK’s largest structured bird survey, delivering over 25 years of weekly bird counts from more than 14,00
Peer-reviewed papers
Temporal avoidance as a means of reducing competition between sympatric species
Do Marsh Tits modify their behaviour to reduce competition?
2023 | Maziarz, M., Broughton, R.K., Beck, K.B., Robinson, R.A. & Sheldon, B.C. Royal Society Open Science
Competition between species has been put forward as a possible reason for the declines seen in some bird species, including Marsh Tit and Willow Tit, but confirming a causal link between competitio
Peer-reviewed papers
Landscape fires disproportionally affect areas of conservation priority but only under low moisture conditions
2023 | Kirkland, M., Atkinson, P.W., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., De Jong, M., Dowling, T.P.F., Grummoe, D., Critchley, M. & Ashton-Butt, A. Science of The Total Environment
This study identified five fires reaching more than 100 km2, a threshold often used to classify ‘megafires’.
Peer-reviewed papers
Farmland practices are driving bird population decline across Europe
The impacts of human activities on Europe's breeding birds
2023 | Rigala, S., Dakos, V., Alonso, H., Auniņš, A., Benkőe, Z., Brotons, L., Chodkiewicz, T., Chylareck, P., de Carlil, E., del Moral, J.C., Domșa, C., Escandell, V., Fontaine, B., Foppen, R., Gregory, R., Harris, S., Herrando, S., Husby, M., Leronymidou C., Jiguet, J., Kennedy, J., Klvaňová, A., Kmecl, P., Kuczyński, L. , Kurlavičius, P., Kålås J.A., Lehikoinen, A., Lindström, Å, Lorrillière, R., Moshø, C., Nellis, R., Noble, D., Eskildsen, D.P., Paquet, J-Y., Pelissié, M., Pladevall, C., Portolou, D., Reif, J., Schmid, H., Seaman, B., Szabo, Z.D., Szép, T., Florenzano, G.T., Teufelbauer, N., Trautmann, S., van Turnhout, C., Vermouzek, Z., Vikstrøm, T., Voříšek, P., Weiserbs, A. & Devictor, V. PNAS
Our knowledge of European bird populations comes from the efforts of volunteers, contributing to large-scale monitoring of breeding birds in countries across Europe, partnered with researchers at a
Waterbirds in the UK
Waterbirds in the UK 2021/22: The Wetland Bird Survey and Goose & Swan Monitoring Programme
2023 | Austin, G.E., Calbrade, N.A., Birtles, G.A., Peck, K., Wotton, S.R., Shaw, J.M., Balmer, D.E. & Frost, T.M.
Research Reports
Production of smoothed population trends when a key year of data is missing.
Analyses of simulated data provide assurance that the BBS trends for 1994 to 2021 (but are missing 2020) are robust and can be viewed with confidence.
2023 | Noble, D.G. & Gillings, S.
Peer-reviewed papers
Daily, seasonal and annual variation in area use of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) related to offshore renewable developments
2023 | Clewley, G.D., Thaxter, C., Scragg, E.S., Masden, E.A., Barber, L.J., Conway, G., Clark, N.A. & Burton, N.H.K. Bird Study
Peer-reviewed papers
Monitoring five decades of change in the UK’s rarest breeding birds through citizen science: the Rare Breeding Birds Panel
2023 | Eaton, M. Stroud, D. Francis, I, Norman, D, Baker, H., Holling, M. King, A., Stanbury, A. & Balmer, D. British Wildlife
Peer-reviewed papers
How important is it to standardise the measured mass of shorebirds weighed at varying intervals after capture?
2023 | Clark, J.A., Gillings, S., Clark, N.A., Cole, K.B., Breese, G., Woods, J.L., Bellman, H.A. & Robinson, R.A. Wader Study
This paper examines this phenomenon using captures of Knot, Turnstone, Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpiper in Delaware Bay, USA.
Peer-reviewed papers
The Rare Breeding Birds Panel: five decades of monitoring the UK’s rare breeding birds
2023 | Stroud, D.A., Eaton, M.A., Francis, I.S, Baker, H., Holling, M., King, A., Norman, D., Stanbury, A.J. & Balmer, D.E. British Birds
Peer-reviewed papers
A niche-based approach for evaluating the mechanisms of community stability in butterfly communities across three countries
What drives stability in ecological communities?
2023 | Evans, L.C., Melero, Y., Schmucki, S., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Brotons, L., Fontaine, C., Jiguet, F., Kuussaari, M., Massimino, D., Robinson, R.A., Roy, D.B., Schweiger, O., Settele, J., Stefanescu, C., van Turnhout, C.A.M. & Oliver, T.H. Global Change Biology
Using data collected by volunteers participating in three national butterfly monitoring schemes - operating in Spain, the
Northern Ireland Seabird Report
Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2022
Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2022
2023 | Booth Jones, K.
The 10th NI Seabird Report charts the fortunes of Northern Ireland's breeding seabird species and sheds light on the initial impact of avian flu.
Peer-reviewed papers
Aerial insect biomass, but not phenological mismatch, is associated with chick survival of an insectivorous bird
2023 | Martay, B., Leech, D.I., Shortall, C.R., Bell, J.R., Thackeray, S.J., Hemming, D.L. & Pearce-Higgins, J.W Ibis
Recent declines in insect populations may have consequences for the bird species that feed on them.
Research Reports
Highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in the United Kingdom in 2022: impacts, planning for future outbreaks, and conservation and research priorities. Report on virtual workshops held in November 2022
Avian Flu: what next?
2023 | Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Humphreys, E.M., Burton, N.H.K., Atkinson, P.W., Pollock, C., Clewley, G.D., Johnston, D.T., O’Hanlon, N.J., Balmer, D.E., Frost, T.M., Harris S.J. & Baker, H.
Peer-reviewed papers
Limited effectiveness of actions intended to achieve a voluntary transition from the use of lead to non-lead shotgun ammunition for hunting in Britain
Are voluntary initiatives to promote the replacement of lead ammunition working?
2023 | Green, R.E., Taggart, M.A., Pain, D.J., Clark, N.A., Clewley, L., Cromie, R., Green, R.M.W., Guiu, M., Huntley, B., Huntley, J., Leslie, R., Porter, R., Roberts, J., Robinson, J.A., Robinson, R.A., Sheldon, R., Smith, K.W., Smith, L., Spencer, J. & Stroud, D. Conservation Evidence Journal
Peer-reviewed papers
The conservation of Afro-Palaearctic migrants: what we are learning and what we need to know
Can migrant birds wait until we have all the answers?
2023 | Vickery, J.A., Mallord, J.W., Adams, W.M., Beresford, A.E., Both, C., Cresswell, W., Diop, N., Ewing, S.R., Gregory, R.D., Morrison, C.A., Sanderson, F.J., Thorup, C., Van Wijk, R.E. & Hewson, C.M Ibis
Research led by our CEO, Juliet Vickery, makes the case to act now to stem migrant bird population declines instead of waiting for more evidence.
BirdTrends
BirdTrends 2022: Trends in numbers, breeding success and survival for UK breeding birds
Read the BTO's latest BirdTrends report
2023 | Massimino, D., Woodward, I.D., Barber, L., Barimore, C., Harris, S.J., Leech, D.I., Noble, D.G., Walker, R.H., Baillie, S.R. & Robinson, R.A.
The BirdTrends 2022 report is a one-stop shop for authoritative information about the population status of the common breeding birds in the UK.
Peer-reviewed papers
Collation of a century of soil invertebrate abundance data suggests long-term declines in earthworms but not tipulids
New study identifies long-term decline in earthworms
2023 | Barnes, A.E., Robinson, R.A. & Pearce-Higgins, J.W. PLOS ONE
What could be a previously undetected biodiversity decline potentially represents a significant conservation and economic issue in the UK.
Peer-reviewed papers
A review of the impacts of air pollution on terrestrial birds
2023 | Barton, M.G., Henderson, I., Border, J.A. & Siriwardena, G.M. Science of The Total Environment
A review paper by BTO considers 203 studies of the effects of air pollution on 231 bird species.
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