BTO Christmas card featuring a Robin by Dennis Harle, 1965 The tradition of sending Christmas cards was begun in 1843 by the civil servant Sir Henry Cole (1808–1882), who commissioned his friend, the ...

Seabirds across the UK, and globally, are in trouble. Many species, from Puffins and Fulmars to gulls and terns are experiencing declines in their breeding numbers. A key reason is that seabirds rely ...

Forget ‘five gold rings’, how about 866,000 alloy ones? A new report from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) highlights the latest findings from wild bird ringing activities across the UK and ...

Climate change is a major threat to biodiversity, and migratory birds such as the Swallow and Willow Warbler are particularly vulnerable, due partly to their reliance on reliable sources of food and ...

Back in the first migration blog of this autumn we made the point that autumn migration could be said to start in June, as this is when we see the first southbound waders passing through Britain. The ...

A pair of Hoopoes succeeded in raising three young from a nest in farmland in Leicestershire and Rutland. This distinctive species from southern Europe, its plumage a combination of salmon-pink and ...

Since the last blog migration has stalled somewhat, with the return of westerly winds bringing wetter conditions to Britain and Ireland and limiting migration across the North Sea. However, a few days ...

A devastating wave of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI / bird flu) has triggered an unprecedented global wildlife emergency, decimating seabird and waterbird colonies across the UK and beyond.

Satellite technology is helping scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to better understand the pressures that the UK’s breeding Cuckoos face as they make annual migrations of 16,000 ...

All birds are protected in some form, but some species have additional protection during the breeding season as do their nests, eggs and dependent young. To disturb these you must obtain a special ...

Breeds in broad-leaved and deciduous woodland. Resident and sedentary in its habits. Approximately 50,000 breeding pairs in the UK. Amber-listed Bird of Conservation Concern. Our most familiar owl, ...

In June 2010 one of these birds was recaught, allowing our scientists to download the data collected over the winter months. You can see the route below. Soon after the bird began its return migration ...