BTO create and publish a variety of important articles, papers, journals and other publications, independently and with our partners, for organisations, government and the private sector. Some of our publications (books, guides and atlases) are also available to buy in our online shop.
Annual report of the Seabird Monitoring Programme
Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 1986–2023
This report presents the latest seabird population trends in breeding abundance and productivity using data from the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP).
The report documents changes in the abundance and productivity of breeding seabird species in Britain and Ireland from 1986 to 2023, and provides a detailed account of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 breeding seasons.
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Behavioural responses of Sandwich terns following the construction of offshore wind farms
Author: Thaxter, C.B., Green, R.M.W., Collier, M.P., Taylor, R.C., Middelveld, R.P., Scragg, E.S., Wright, L.J., Cook, A.S.C.P. & Fijn, R.C.
Published: 2024
GPS tracking sheds light on the ‘barrier effects’ of offshore wind farms, where renewable energy developments may act as obstacles that impede the movements of seabirds to and from their colonies during the breeding season, or on migration.
17.01.24
Papers
Natural body size variation in seabirds provides a fundamental challenge for flight height determination by single-camera photgrammetry. A comment on Humphries et al. 2023
Author: Boersch-Supan, P.H., Brighton, C.H., Thaxter, C.B. & Cook, A.S.C.P.
Published: 2024
Determining flight heights for seabirds is a crucial prerequisite for understanding collision risks associated with offshore wind farms, but obtaining these can be challenging. This comment addresses concerns over the workflow proposed by Humphries et al. (2023).
15.01.24
Papers
Extended molt phenology models improve inferences about molt duration and timing
Author: Boersch-Supan, P.H., Hanmer, H.J. & Robinson, R.A.
Published: 2024
Moult is an essential but understudied life-history event in birds, and one that is difficult to study with current statistical approaches. This paper presents an extended modelling framework that should remove barriers to modelling the phenology of moult.
14.01.24
Papers
Remote tracking unveils intercontinental movements of nomadic Short-eared Owls Asio flammeus with implications for resource tracking by irruptive specialist predators
Author: Calladine, J., Hallgrimsson, G.T., Morrison, N., Southall, C., Gunnarsson, H., Jubete, F., Sergio, F. & Mougeot, F.
Published: 2024
Birds may exhibit a range of different movement patterns, from the dispersal that takes them away from the nest in which they were raised, through to annual migrations between breeding and wintering areas located thousands of miles apart. Some of these movements are more difficult to study than others, and this is particularly true for those species that are nomadic in their behaviour. International research led by BTO has revealed that Short-eared Owls make astonishing nomadic migrations between nest sites as far apart as Scotland and Arctic Russia.
11.01.24
Papers
Distance functions of carabids in crop fields depend on functional traits, crop type and adjacent habitat: a synthesis
Author: Boetzl, F.A., Sponsler, D., Albrecht, M., Batáry, P., Birkhofer, K., Knapp, M., Krauss, J., Maas, B., Martin, E.A., Sirami, C., Sutter, L., Bertrand, C., Bosem Baillod, A., Bota, G., Bretagnolle, V., Brotons, L., Frank, T., Fusser, M., Giralt, D., González, E., Hof, A.R., Luka, H., Marrec, R., Nash, M.A., Ng, K., Plantegenest, M., Poulin, B., Siriwardena, G.M., Tscharntke, T., Tschumi, M., Vialatte, A., Van Vooren, L., Zubair-Anjum, M., Entling, M.H., Steffan-Dewenter, I. & Schirmel, J.
Published: 2024
10.01.24
Papers
