Combining remote sensing and tracking data to quantify species’ cumulative exposure to anthropogenic change

Many long-distance migratory bird species are experiencing severe population declines. These declines are being caused by human-driven changes, such as habitat loss and climate change, but the relative severity of these varies in space and time. Understanding this variation is key to understanding where species might be most exposed to population-limiting effects. This study used 10 years’ worth of satellite data from birds tagged as part of the BTO Cuckoo Tracking Project alongside data on human impacts on the environment (including the location of infrastructure, habitat change and climate change) collected via remote sensing to address these information gaps.

A demonstration of the value of recapture data for informing moult phenology models for species with imperfect moult data.

It is important for birds to maintain their plumage in good condition, something that is facilitated by the periodic moulting of their feathers. However, moulting feathers is energetically costly and can also compromise an individual’s ability to forage and avoid predators. Because of this, the timing of feather moult needs to be balanced against the demands imposed by other key events, such as breeding and migration.

The status of the UK breeding European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur population in 2021

The Turtle Dove is a summer migrant to the UK. Its numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades, and it is now one of only six globally threatened species that regularly breed in the UK. 

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A crowded ocean: the need for demographic and movement data in seabird conservation

Recent news of highly pathogenic avian influenza hitting seabird colonies and severe marine heatwaves disrupting marine food webs highlight just two of the many threats that seabirds must contend with. This BTO study examines the information needed to come up wtih effective conservation measures for seabird species.

Lasso Penalisation identifies consistent trends over time in landscape and climate factors influencing the wintering distribution of the Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)