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Waterbirds in the UK
Cover of Waterbirds in the UK report 2021-2022

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
Skylark by Liz Cutting

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
Comma butterfly, Liz Cutting / BTO

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
Marsh Tit, Liz Cutting / BTO

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
Aquatic Warbler, Daniel Rosengren

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
Tree Sparrow, by Liz Cutting

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
Cover of Waterbirds in the UK report 2021-2022

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
Yellowhammer, by Liz Cutting / BTO

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
Lesser Black-backed Gull tagging, Gary Clewley/BTO

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
Bittern, Graham Catley / BTO

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
Knot being held by a bird ringer, Cathy Ryden

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
Crested Tit, Liz Cutting / BTO

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
Marsh Fritillary butterfly by Liz Cutting BTO

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
Black guillemot by Katherine Booth-Jones / BTO

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
Swallow, Liz Cutting

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
Research Report 752 cover

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
Pheasant, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO

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
Whitethroat, by Liz Cutting / BTO

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
Swallow.

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
Blackbird with earthworm, by Liz Cutting / BTO

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
Birds and chimney, Gallinago Media/Adobe Stock

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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