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BTO
The British Trust for Ornithology

he BTO is an organisation which is primarily concerned with the scientific study of birds. The most well known aspect of this concerns bird ringing and migration study. The BTO is the body which co-ordinates bird ringing in the UK. In general, all bird ringers working on wild birds must be licensed and trained by the BTO to practice legally.

The British Trust for Ornithology has been gathering detailed information on the birds of Britain and Ireland for over 60 years. It does this through over 10,000 members voluntarily doing census work, recording at nests, counting wading birds on estuaries, plotting birds on atlases or ringing (banding) them. There is even a scheme for weekly counts of birds coming into gardens - this has more than 5,000 participants.

BTO News is issued every two months. There are also two scientific journals - Bird Study and Ringing and Migration - and several newsletters addressed to amateurs who participate in different schemes. The British Trust for Ornithology also runs meetings nationally and locally, and has a system of Regional Representatives all over the country.

Contact

Report a bird with a numbered metal ring.