Modelling large-scale relationships between increasing abundance of deer and changes changes in bird populations in lowland England

Newly published work by BTO scientists suggests that the increasing abundance of three widespread deer species, Reeves’ Muntjac, Roe Deer and Fallow Deer, have contributed to population declines of several breeding woodland birds in lowland England.

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Producing regional estimates of population size for common and widespread breeding birds from national monitoring data

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Declines in Afro-Palearctic migrant birds are linked to bioclimatic wintering zone, possibly via constraints in arrival time advancement

Many UK-breeding birds that migrate to Africa for the winter have undergone dramatic declines in recent decades. New BTO research shows that both winter habitat and the geographical regions visited had a significant effect on population trends between 1994 and 2008, as measured by data from the Breeding Bird Survey.

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Composite bird indicators robust to variation in species selection and habitat specificity

Ecological indicators that measure the state of the environment are of growing political importance due to national and international conservation obligations. Birds are commonly used as biodiversity indicators because of their high trophic level, sensitivity to environmental change, public popularity and relative ease of survey. Indicators of general environmental health based on breeding bird population trends (from  and BBS) have therefore become important drivers of conservation and land-use policy in the UK and further afield.

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Flexibility in phenology and habitat use as buffers to long-term population declines in UK passerines