British Birds
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British Birds publishes articles on identification, distribution, migration, conservation and taxonomy. We're THE bird journal of record in Great Britain.
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November 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Get British Birds straight to your device with our only Digital Subscription!
Winter brings an influx of little auks to UK waters as Arctic conditions push these high-latitude specialists south.
Delve more into a focus on Little Auks in our July 1961 Journal article:
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Delve more into a focus on Little Auks in our July 1961 Journal article:
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
November 20, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Winter brings an influx of little auks to UK waters as Arctic conditions push these high-latitude specialists south.
Delve more into a focus on Little Auks in our July 1961 Journal article:
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Delve more into a focus on Little Auks in our July 1961 Journal article:
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Started your Christmas shopping yet?
You can purchase a British Birds subscription as a treat for someone this Christmas from as little as £46 for Digital subscriptions . We also offer Young Person memberships too.
www.britishbirds.co.uk/subscribe
You can purchase a British Birds subscription as a treat for someone this Christmas from as little as £46 for Digital subscriptions . We also offer Young Person memberships too.
www.britishbirds.co.uk/subscribe
November 13, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Started your Christmas shopping yet?
You can purchase a British Birds subscription as a treat for someone this Christmas from as little as £46 for Digital subscriptions . We also offer Young Person memberships too.
www.britishbirds.co.uk/subscribe
You can purchase a British Birds subscription as a treat for someone this Christmas from as little as £46 for Digital subscriptions . We also offer Young Person memberships too.
www.britishbirds.co.uk/subscribe
Two Razorbill Alca torda chicks fledged for the first time on RSPB Coquet Island, Northumberland, in mid July, following several years of unsuccessful breeding attempts.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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November 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Two Razorbill Alca torda chicks fledged for the first time on RSPB Coquet Island, Northumberland, in mid July, following several years of unsuccessful breeding attempts.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Birding news this week: Rose-breasted Grosbeak!
Discover more about this species through our April 1960 article 'Notes on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak'
View the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Discover more about this species through our April 1960 article 'Notes on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak'
View the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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November 4, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Birding news this week: Rose-breasted Grosbeak!
Discover more about this species through our April 1960 article 'Notes on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak'
View the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
🥇Subscriber Content
Discover more about this species through our April 1960 article 'Notes on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak'
View the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
🥇Subscriber Content
A record of Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo from Holy Island, Northumberland, has been accepted by BBRC and passed on to BOURC for their assessment; otherwise, no new species were recorded in Britain in 2024.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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October 30, 2025 at 11:01 AM
A record of Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo from Holy Island, Northumberland, has been accepted by BBRC and passed on to BOURC for their assessment; otherwise, no new species were recorded in Britain in 2024.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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@rspbminsmere, Suffolk, has recorded its most successful Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis breeding season in half a century, with at least 205 fledged chicks this summer – the highest total since 1974.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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October 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM
@rspbminsmere, Suffolk, has recorded its most successful Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis breeding season in half a century, with at least 205 fledged chicks this summer – the highest total since 1974.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Hot of the press!
October issue contains the report of Rare Birds in Great Britain 2024 which includes some very popular species including Indigo Bunting and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler.
BBRC is supported by @zeissnature and @rspb
October issue contains the report of Rare Birds in Great Britain 2024 which includes some very popular species including Indigo Bunting and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler.
BBRC is supported by @zeissnature and @rspb
October 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Hot of the press!
October issue contains the report of Rare Birds in Great Britain 2024 which includes some very popular species including Indigo Bunting and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler.
BBRC is supported by @zeissnature and @rspb
October issue contains the report of Rare Birds in Great Britain 2024 which includes some very popular species including Indigo Bunting and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler.
BBRC is supported by @zeissnature and @rspb
An absolute classic Throwback Thursday!
Cedar Waxwing in Shetland: new to the Western Palearctic
McKay, C. R
December 2000
How many of our followers managed to connect with this bird?
Read the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Cedar Waxwing in Shetland: new to the Western Palearctic
McKay, C. R
December 2000
How many of our followers managed to connect with this bird?
Read the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
🥇Subscriber Content
October 2, 2025 at 8:31 PM
An absolute classic Throwback Thursday!
Cedar Waxwing in Shetland: new to the Western Palearctic
McKay, C. R
December 2000
How many of our followers managed to connect with this bird?
Read the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
🥇Subscriber Content
Cedar Waxwing in Shetland: new to the Western Palearctic
McKay, C. R
December 2000
How many of our followers managed to connect with this bird?
Read the article: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
🥇Subscriber Content
Ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in areas where Common Pheasants Phasianus colchicus are released, according to new research.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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September 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in areas where Common Pheasants Phasianus colchicus are released, according to new research.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Attempted breeding between an ‘American Black Tern’ and an Arctic Tern in Northumberland
Katie Baird, James Porteus, Gary Woodburn and Chris Redfern
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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📸 Gary Woodburn
Katie Baird, James Porteus, Gary Woodburn and Chris Redfern
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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📸 Gary Woodburn
September 3, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Attempted breeding between an ‘American Black Tern’ and an Arctic Tern in Northumberland
Katie Baird, James Porteus, Gary Woodburn and Chris Redfern
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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📸 Gary Woodburn
Katie Baird, James Porteus, Gary Woodburn and Chris Redfern
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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📸 Gary Woodburn
Report on scarce migrant birds in Britain in 2023 – Part 2: passerines. The report presents data on scarce passerine migrants recorded in Britain during 2023.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Alan Harris
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Alan Harris
August 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Report on scarce migrant birds in Britain in 2023 – Part 2: passerines. The report presents data on scarce passerine migrants recorded in Britain during 2023.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Alan Harris
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Alan Harris
A life-sized bronze statue has been unveiled on the island of Papa Westray, Orkney, in memory of the last known Great Auk Pinguinus impennis killed there in 1813. The statue is an exact replica of the preserved remains of the bird, which are held by the Natural History Museum.
August 19, 2025 at 10:15 PM
A life-sized bronze statue has been unveiled on the island of Papa Westray, Orkney, in memory of the last known Great Auk Pinguinus impennis killed there in 1813. The statue is an exact replica of the preserved remains of the bird, which are held by the Natural History Museum.
Underwing pattern provides a critical field character for separating male European Stonechats Saxicola rubicola from Siberian Stonechats S. maurus and Amur Stonechats S. stejnegeri, two taxa collectively known as ‘Eastern Stonechats’.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
July 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Underwing pattern provides a critical field character for separating male European Stonechats Saxicola rubicola from Siberian Stonechats S. maurus and Amur Stonechats S. stejnegeri, two taxa collectively known as ‘Eastern Stonechats’.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
The FAO’s European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC) published its draft European Cormorant Management Plan, calling for a coordinated and systematic cull of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo across Europe.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
July 20, 2025 at 8:05 AM
The FAO’s European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC) published its draft European Cormorant Management Plan, calling for a coordinated and systematic cull of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo across Europe.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Report from BirdLife International and EuroNatur on Illegal Killing of Birds in the Mediterranean and Europe, has revealed that the majority of countries bordering the Mediterranean are failing to deliver to 1/2 illegal bird activities
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
July 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Report from BirdLife International and EuroNatur on Illegal Killing of Birds in the Mediterranean and Europe, has revealed that the majority of countries bordering the Mediterranean are failing to deliver to 1/2 illegal bird activities
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which took place over the last weekend in January, recorded the lowest number of Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris since the survey began in 1979.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
July 6, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which took place over the last weekend in January, recorded the lowest number of Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris since the survey began in 1979.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
To be eligible for the award you need to be 16 or under on Saturday 13 September 2025. Entries must be submitted by midnight Sunday 20 July 2025. Previous winners are not eligible to enter for a second time in the same age category.
Apply now via: spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/migfest
Apply now via: spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/migfest
July 3, 2025 at 6:39 PM
To be eligible for the award you need to be 16 or under on Saturday 13 September 2025. Entries must be submitted by midnight Sunday 20 July 2025. Previous winners are not eligible to enter for a second time in the same age category.
Apply now via: spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/migfest
Apply now via: spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/migfest
a passenger on board the cruise ship Bolette, which departed Malaga, on 22nd en route to Sicily, arriving on 25th. the morning of 23rd September, while off the coast of Algeria, I observed a European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus following the vessel. britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
June 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
a passenger on board the cruise ship Bolette, which departed Malaga, on 22nd en route to Sicily, arriving on 25th. the morning of 23rd September, while off the coast of Algeria, I observed a European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus following the vessel. britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
The April edition of the British Birds Journal will be making its way to you shortly. Inside this month's issue:
- Historical and current status of the Eurasian Dotterel in Cumbria
- Wintering Jack Snipe
- Lowland bogs in North-east Scotland
- Historical and current status of the Eurasian Dotterel in Cumbria
- Wintering Jack Snipe
- Lowland bogs in North-east Scotland
April 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
The April edition of the British Birds Journal will be making its way to you shortly. Inside this month's issue:
- Historical and current status of the Eurasian Dotterel in Cumbria
- Wintering Jack Snipe
- Lowland bogs in North-east Scotland
- Historical and current status of the Eurasian Dotterel in Cumbria
- Wintering Jack Snipe
- Lowland bogs in North-east Scotland
BBRC review of records of female and first-year Black-headed Buntings in Britain; It sets out the rationale and context for the review, describes the review process itself and summarises its conclusions.
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Robbie Brookes
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britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Robbie Brookes
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March 25, 2025 at 10:43 AM
BBRC review of records of female and first-year Black-headed Buntings in Britain; It sets out the rationale and context for the review, describes the review process itself and summarises its conclusions.
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Robbie Brookes
🥇Subscriber Content
britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Robbie Brookes
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Common Ringed Plovers are known to decorate their nest scrapes with fragments of shell and small flat stones, however some individuals have been noted to use other materials to decorate their nests.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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March 18, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Common Ringed Plovers are known to decorate their nest scrapes with fragments of shell and small flat stones, however some individuals have been noted to use other materials to decorate their nests.
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
🥇Subscriber Content
Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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📣 MARCH ISSUE is making its way to our subscribers this week.
Dive right in to:
• The origins of wintering Snow Buntings
• Delayed pigmentation in Jackdaws
• European Storm-petrels in The Gambia
Wait for your copy to arrive or purchase a Digital Subscription to view on your devices and read online
Dive right in to:
• The origins of wintering Snow Buntings
• Delayed pigmentation in Jackdaws
• European Storm-petrels in The Gambia
Wait for your copy to arrive or purchase a Digital Subscription to view on your devices and read online
March 10, 2025 at 10:51 PM
📣 MARCH ISSUE is making its way to our subscribers this week.
Dive right in to:
• The origins of wintering Snow Buntings
• Delayed pigmentation in Jackdaws
• European Storm-petrels in The Gambia
Wait for your copy to arrive or purchase a Digital Subscription to view on your devices and read online
Dive right in to:
• The origins of wintering Snow Buntings
• Delayed pigmentation in Jackdaws
• European Storm-petrels in The Gambia
Wait for your copy to arrive or purchase a Digital Subscription to view on your devices and read online
Explore previous records of species by visiting the BBRC Past Records database.
Discover UK rarities now at www.britishbirds.co.uk/rarities-committee/records/previous-records
Discover UK rarities now at www.britishbirds.co.uk/rarities-committee/records/previous-records
February 19, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Explore previous records of species by visiting the BBRC Past Records database.
Discover UK rarities now at www.britishbirds.co.uk/rarities-committee/records/previous-records
Discover UK rarities now at www.britishbirds.co.uk/rarities-committee/records/previous-records