51 Years of Bullfinch Monitoring Revealed Decline, Male Bias and Age-Matched Pairs
A 51-year study in Treswell Wood, England, recorded a strong Eurasian Bullfinch decline. Among 2,065 ringed birds, males…
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Research, conservation and new discoveries
A continuing selection of new studies, conservation projects and important developments connected to species in the archive.
Lapwing and Oystercatcher Nesting Shifted in Opposite Directions With Latitude
Fifty years of UK nest records showed that northern lapwings nested later towards the north while Eurasian oystercatchers…
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Type A Trichomonas Was More Than Twice as Prevalent in British Birds at Supplementary-fed Sites
Type A of the bird parasite Trichomonas gallinae was more than twice as prevalent in British birds at…
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Roe Deer in Similar Scottish Habitats Had More Similar Diets
DNA metabarcoding from 198 Scottish roe deer found that study site explained about 18% of dietary variation, while…
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No Evidence of Lower Apparent Survival in Dunnocks With Avian Pox in 15.5-Year Study
A 15.5-year study of 588 wild dunnocks estimated an 8.3% lifetime prevalence of visible avian pox but found…
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Male and Female Great Tits Built Winter Pair Bonds Differently
Great tits increasingly associated with future breeding partners through winter, but sex and age shaped how they divided…
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Farm-Bred Red Foxes Showed Stronger Genetic Erosion Than Isolated Scottish Foxes
Wild Belarusian foxes retained high genetic diversity, Scottish foxes showed moderate depletion, and farm-bred foxes had the smallest…
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Record May Heatwave Reduced Breeding Success and Nestling Mass in Great Tits and Eurasian Blue Tits
Compared with equivalent parts of the breeding season in 1978–2025, fledgling number declined by 4.5 nestlings in 2026…
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Irish and British Curlews Showed Little Genetic Separation but Both Differed From Swedish Birds
Whole-genome data from 56 Eurasian curlews found little differentiation between Irish and British birds but clear separation from…
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Little Egrets Bred in North-East Scotland for the First Time
Four little egret chicks fledged at Forvie National Nature Reserve in 2026, providing the first confirmed breeding record…
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Common Pheasants Were Not More Abundant in English Survey Squares With More Protected Land
BTO atlas data from 3,793 survey squares in four English counties found no evidence that common pheasants were…
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24 Osprey Chicks Fledged From 12 Rutland Nests
Rutland Osprey Project reported 24 chicks fledged from 12 nests in 2026. The season produced 14 chicks assessed…
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Scotland’s European Herring Gull Index Was 54% Below Its 1986 Baseline
NatureScot’s 2026 seabird indicator estimated European herring gull breeding abundance in Scotland 54% below the 1986 baseline and…
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Rare Pioneering Pairs Drove Much of Scottish Osprey Range Recovery
Across 54 years of recolonisation in northern Scotland, rare long-distance settlers founded new osprey subpopulations. Founder nests averaged…
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Kielder Forest Reached 150 Fledged Osprey Chicks Since Breeding Returned in 2009
A male named Kielder became the 150th osprey chick to fledge from Kielder Forest since breeding returned to…
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Poole Harbour Ospreys Fledged Four Chicks for Third Year Running
The Carey pair fledged four chicks for the third year in a row, while four young males hatched…
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Three Osprey Chicks Hatched on Artificial Platform at English RSPB Reserve
Three osprey chicks hatched at RSPB Campfield Marsh in Cumbria in June 2026, the first successful breeding on…
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Zitting Cisticolas Raised at Least Seven Juveniles from Three Broods in Suffolk
At least 11 Zitting Cisticolas were present at Corporation Marsh in Suffolk on 6 August 2026, including up…
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Models Highlighted Iberian Mountains and the Po Watershed as Key Stopover Regions for UK Common Cuckoos
Models based on satellite tracks from 88 UK-breeding male common cuckoos highlighted Iberian mountain ranges and the Po…
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Ground Beetles Dominated the Diet of Eurasian Tree Sparrow Chicks
DNA metabarcoding of 59 faecal samples from Eurasian tree sparrow chicks at three sites in southern England detected…
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