BirdFacts Species

BirdFacts Species

BirdFacts covers all species that have been recorded in the wild in the UK, plus many non-native species that have become established here. BTO and partner organisations monitor the populations of many of these species through core surveys. For these species, BirdFacts provides robust and up-to-date information on status, distribution, biology and trends, all thanks to data collected by volunteers. 

Facts, figures and maps for each UK bird

Much of this information is generated through BTO and partnership schemes.

Other ways to explore our data about birds

Search for an area by postcode

Enter a UK postcode and find key information about the changing fortunes of birds in your chosen area, based on BTO and partner data, with Birds on Your Doorstep.

View trends in different countries

Explore how a particular species is faring in different countries, and download data and graphs with our interactive Trends Explorer.

Browse an alphabetical list

Search our index of the regularly occurring UK bird species listed in our BirdFacts database on our Alphabetical list page.

Read the BirdTrends report

Our scientists report on the latest changes in breeding bird populations and trends in the annual BirdTrends reports.


BTO species codes for surveys and fieldwork

Many BTO datasets use shorthand species codes, most commonly 2-letter or 5-letter codes. These can also be useful in the field when taking written notes, or to quickly enter records in the BirdTrack app.

  • Species codes can be found on every BirdFacts Species page in the "Classification, names and codes" section.
  • Our interactive BTO species codes tool allows you to look up all species codes for individual species.

How to cite

If you wish to cite particular content in a species' page (e.g. a specific value) it is best to use the original sources as linked in the page. For a more general citation of BirdFacts Species please use:

BTO (20XX) BirdFacts Species: profiles of birds occurring in the United Kingdom. BTO, Thetford (www.bto.org/birdfacts, accessed on xx/xx/xxxx).

Acknowledgements

BirdFacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC, RSPB and other partners.