Head & Principal Ecologist
Niall manages a team of seven staff undertaking pure and applied research on the UK’s waterbirds and seabirds.
As Head of the Wetland and Marine Team, Niall oversees BTO’s research into waterbirds and seabirds, working closely with Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) staff in the BTO's Monitoring Team. The team's research explores the wide range of factors that may affect waterbird and seabird population dynamics, including climate change, habitat change and loss and the impacts of coastal and offshore developments. Niall's personal research work has focussed on assessing how waterbirds (from individuals to groups) respond to disturbance, habitat change and habitat loss.
Other Information
Niall is currently chair of the British Ornithologist's Union (BOU) Meetings Committee and has been a member of the BOU's Council since 2011. He is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia.
BSc in Physical Geography, Reading University, 1986-1989 MSc in Ecology, University of Durham, 1989-1990 PhD on the roosting behaviour of waders, University of Durham, 1991-1995
Recent BTO Publications
- Feather, A.P., Burton, N.H.K., Johnston, D.T. & Boersch-Supan, P.H. A review of existing methods to collect data on seabird flight height distributions and their use in offshore wind farm impact assessments View at journal website( DOI: )
- Green, R.M.W., Cook, A.S.C.P., Burton, N.H.K., Franks, S.E. & Green, J.A. Framework for assessing species vulnerability whilst on migration to a spatially explicit anthropogenic pressure 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111118 View at journal website( DOI:10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111118 )
- O’Hanlon, N.J., Harris, S.J., Thaxter, C.B., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Robinson, R.A., Balmer, D.E. & Burton, N.H.K. Seabird population and demographic monitoring in the UK: a review and recommendations for future sampling View at journal website( DOI: )
- Harris, S.J., Baker, H., Balmer, D.E., Bolton, M., Burton, N.H.K., Caulfield, E., Clarke, J.A.E., Dunn, T.E., Evans, T.J., Hereward, H.R.F., Humphreys, E.M., Money, S. and O’Hanlon, N.J. Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 1986–2023 View at journal website( DOI: )
- Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Humphreys, E.M., Burton, N.H.K., Atkinson, P.W., Pollock, C., Clewley, G.D., Johnston, D.T., O’Hanlon, N.J., Balmer, D.E., Frost, T.M., Harris S.J. & Baker, H. Highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in the United Kingdom in 2022: impacts, planning for future outbreaks, and conservation and research priorities. View at journal website( DOI: )
- Green, R.M., Thaxter, C.B., Johnston, D.T., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Bouten, W. & Burton, N.H.K. Assessing movements of Lesser Black-backed Gulls using GPS tracking devices in relation to the Galloper Wind Farm View at journal website( DOI: )
- Johnston, D.T., Thaxter, C.B., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Davies, J.G., Clewley, G.D., Green, R.M.W., Shamoun-Baranes, J., Cook, A.S.C.P., Burton, N.H.K. & Humphreys, E.M. Flight heights obtained from GPS versus altimeters influence estimates of collision risk with offshore wind turbines in Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus 10.1186/s40462-023-00431-z View at journal website( DOI:10.1186/s40462-023-00431-z )