A new study finds that trying to stabilise populations solely through captive breeding will require the release of such large numbers it will compromise wild populations. More here >

Northern Bald Ibis has moved from Critically Endangered - the highest threat category - to Endangered on the latest IUCN Red List.
More here >

Females birds-of-paradise evaluate not only how attractive the male is, but also how well he sings and dances.
More here >

Scientists analysis of DNA, plumages, structure, songs and geographical distributions to come to their conclusions.
More here >

A proposal to downgrade protection of Barnacle Geese which would make it widely legal to kill them has been rejected.
More here >

The authors of a new study put a conservative estimate of over 2,300 vultures poisoned vultures in the Balkan Peninsula since 1998. More here >

We are delighted to announce that we have recruited Surrey based birder David Campbell as the newest member of the RBA birdnews team. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic, with the re-appearance of the Mourning Dove, wagtails, swifts and much more. More here >

Male songbirds that had better early life conditions as nestlings sing more often and produce more complex songs as adults. More here >

These areas help northern bird species maintain their abundances on the southern boundary of their current area of distribution. More here >

Drilling for oil and gas in the region would also pose risks for the migratory seabirds that use the area as a flyway, such as the threatened Balearic Shearwater. More here >

Researchers have studied flight routes to determine how far willow warblers migrate in the autumn.
More here >

The physical presence of trails has less impact on forest birds than how frequently the trails are used by people, finds a new study. More here >

Climate change could be responsible for a substantial decline in populations of shorebirds, say researchers at the University of Bath. More here >

The Alliance for Zero Extinction has mapped 1,483 highly threatened species that are found only at a single site. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic, and it was swifts which grab the headlines this week. More here >

The 15 seized boxes, bound for Italy, were revealed to contain a staggering 1349 dead birds, and included 13 separate protected species. More here >

Allan Conlin describes his part in the identification of Wirral's first Pied Wheatear.
More here >

A European Storm Petrel chick has been recorded calling on the Shiant Isles, the first known breeding of these seabirds on the islands. More here >

The UK's second rarest breeding seabird, the Little Tern, has benefited from nest site protection at vulnerable beach sites. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic, including yet another frustrating chapter in Tengmalm's Owl history. More here >

A Spoon-billed Sandpiper reared by a WWT conservationist in Russia was sighted by a friend in China just weeks later. More here >

Researchers have now shown that the ancestors of the Inaccessible Island Rail flew to Inaccessible Island from South America about 1.5 million years ago. More here >

Scientists have found that the growth of the Roseate Tern population on Coquet Island has been supported for over 20 years by birds moving from Rockabill in Ireland. More here >

RSPB Scotland is appealing for information following the suspicious disappearance of four satellite tagged Hen Harriers over the last 10 weeks. More here >

Jon Dunn rounds up another exciting week of birds with highlights incl Ireland's first Taiga Flycatcher, a male Siberian Rubythroat on Fair Isle, superb east coast sea-watching plus all the best from around the Western Palearctic. More here >

The tiny muscle doing the heavy lifting is also the reason this bearded manakins have evolved into four distinct species.
More here >

Major project to safeguard Orkney's internationally important native wildlife wins National Lottery and LIFE support
More here >

The recognition of the new IBA will benefit globally threatened birds such as the Chinese Egret and Straw-headed Bulbul.
More here >

The RSPB has been awarded a grant of more than £2,000 by the Lake District Foundation to help create new woodlands at Haweswater.
More here >

Jon Dunn rounds up another exciting week of birds with highlights including Ireland's first Veery, the lingering Grey Catbird in Cornwall and the first Blue Grosbeak for the Western Palearctic. More here >

By Stephen Moss, With beautiful illustrations throughout, this captivating year-in-the-life biography reveals the hidden secrets of this fascinating bird that is lives right on our doorstep. More here >

The Rote Leaf-Warbler was newly described by a joint research team from NUS and the Indonesian Institute of Science.
More here >

Without action, the Tristan albatross is likely to be one of the next UK birds to go globally extinct.
More here >

Two new studies take a deep dive into the demographic factors behind declining populations of Tree Swallows. More here >

A week of blockers - one falls and a lucky few get one of their own, Jon Dunn rounds up an epic week in British, Irish and Western Palearctic birding. More here >

Final preparations have been made ahead of plans to release the world's rarest duck, the Madagascar Pochard, into the wild this autumn. More here >

Researchers from the CNRS and Université de Rennes 1, in collaboration with Airbus, have designed a visual pattern that elicits long-term avoidance of high-risk areas by raptors. More here >

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have joined forces with Norfolk and Suffolk Wildlife Trusts to investigate the cause of mysterious hare deaths in the region. More here >

Corncrakes, one of the country's rarest breeding birds, remain vulnerable in Scotland with counts showing their numbers are largely static following recent declines from a high in 2014, RSPB Scotland has warned. More here >

The bird was discovered by a member of the public in January 2018, lying dead on top of a wall in a layby on the Kildale to Commondale road within the North York Moors National Park. More here >

Most prolific egg collector in recent times took nearly 5,000 eggs, including those of rare and declining birds. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

The Blue-throated Hillstar was only discovered in 2017 in the Ecuadorian Andes. More here >

One of Europe's most threatened butterflies has been discovered breeding on a site in Carmarthenshire where it has not been seen for more than 50 years.More here >

Wind energy has an incredibly green image. Yet placed in the wrong locations, wind turbines can harm birds and bats. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

EXCLUSIVE to RBA - Dave Andrews describes making a truly incredible find in the Thames Estuary, which went on to make headlines around the world. More here >

Scientists are tacking the enigmatic nighthawk which travels 20,000kms each year in its annual migration from north America to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil/ More here >

Valenzuela marsh, which we've identified as in Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA) is being threatened by dredging and forest clearance. More here >

Researchers could be a step closer to saving the critically endangered Swift Parrot, after showing it's possible to predict where the parrots will settle to breed. More here >

Bob Flood describes being onboard two fantastic Lanzarote Pelagics trips plus seabirding from the Cadiz to Lanzarote ferry. More here >

New research shows that birds in silvopasture forage less efficiently than those in forest fragments but offers suggestions for how this habitat could be improved. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

A Red Kite seen falling from the sky accompanied by the sound of gunshots is the latest in a series of concerning incidents involving birds of prey in the Peak District National Park. More here >

It is the suspicious disappearance of a second satellite-tagged Hen Harrier near Wrexham within a six month period. More here >

The newly discovered Mountain Sooty Boubous may already be endangered due to pressure from agricultural development. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

We are giving you the chance to win a stunning framed original watercolour by illustrator Ray Scally. Tickets are just £1 each and proceeds are donated to Spurn Bird Observatory. More here >

Peter Aley remembers his friend and well known birder Brian Field who died recently. More here >

John Kemp describes finding what would be, if accepted, Scotland's fifth ever Barolo Shearwater off South Uist. More here >

All of the birds had been fitted with satellite tags as part of the RSPB's EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE project. More here >

The Bittern - which was on the brink of extinction in Britain 20 years ago - has enjoyed its best year since records began. More here >

New research says that shrikes use powerful beak-and-jaw motions to shake their victims vigorously, which cause injuries akin to whiplash. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

Mike Clarke, CEO of the RSPB, has announced his intention to step down during 2019, bringing to a close a 30-year career with the UK's largest nature conservation charity. More here >

Little Terns have successfully raised chicks on the beach at Lossiemouth for the first time since 2015 thanks to the efforts of a small group of locals. More here >

The findings of a robust new assessment of Critically Endangered species reveals a worrying new trend: for the first time, mainland extinctions are outpacing island extinctions. More here >

As fire rages across the Algarve, BirdLife's Portuguese partner, SPEA, sounds the alarm for the region's important Bonelli's Eagle population. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

WWT experts made the exciting discovery during their annual 2000-mile trip to the Arctic to ring the critically endangered birds. More here >

Having completed its third year, Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) is pleased to announce the 2018 winners of this prestigious global competition. More here >

Despite spring flooding and a summer heatwave this years' flock of Black-tailed Godwits, has had a bumper year thanks to a dedicated team of conservationists. More here >

A total of three young cranes have been raised at a nature reserve in Gloucestershire marking the most successful so year of an ambitious re-introduction project. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

Birdfair celebrates it's 30th Birthday this week and we will be there for the 27th consecutive time. More here >

After ten years of conservation efforts, one of Sweden's rarest breeding bird species, the Black-tailed Godwit, is making a stunning recovery. More here >

BTO are looking for volunteers to help with the Tawny Owl Point Survey, in a bid to get a better understanding of distribution and population since surveys in 1989 and 2005. More here >

The spectacular recovery of the White-headed Duck in Spain is an inspiring example of what can be achieved by a well-coordinated Species Action Plan. More here >

Protected riverbank habitats within areas of oil palm cultivation can play a key role in reducing the negative impacts on tropical bird numbers but need to be increased in size, new research from the University of Kent has shown. More here >

Mountain Hare numbers on moorlands in the eastern Highlands have declined to less than one per cent of their initial levels, according to a newly published long-term scientific study. More here >

Andy Stoddart brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Wester Palearctic. More here >

RSPB Cymru have announced that two Roseate Tern chicks were born at The Skerries this summer - with one chick having successfully flown the nest for the first time since 2006. More here >

Jon Dunn is back in the roundup writing hot seat and brings you his comprehensive take on the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the WP. More here >

Road construction through Belarus' Almany Mires is devastating ancient bogs in one of the country’s Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas. With globally threatened species like the Greater Spotted Eagle in jeopardy. More here >

An unprecedented number of Hen Harrier chicks have been fitted with satellite tags this year by the RSPB as part of its EU funded Hen Harrier LIFE project. More here >

Plans for a project aimed at saving one of Scotland's rarest birds have taken a positive step forward thanks to large award from The National Lottery. More here >

A new study shows that small birds migrating from Scandinavia to Africa in the autumn occasionally fly as high as 4,000 metres above sea level More here >

Scientists have uncovered wht they believe to be the first evidence that low concentrations of an antidepressant disrupting the courtship of songbirds. More here >

A new study has shown, for the first time, that cuckoos vary the size of their eggs to match those of their hosts, providing evidence of evolutionary adaptation More here >

So far, over 20 birds, both adults and juveniles, have been killed in the nets, and several others became trapped but were freed. More here >

Andy Stoddart brings you a comprehensive roundup and analysis of the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the WP. Rare seabirds stole the show this week with a potential first for Britain off Cornwall. More here >

Scottish Ministers have decided that they need more time to consider the controversial proposals for a golf course at Coul Links, near Embo, East Sutherland. More here >

Many blame the inception of social media, which is now used extensively as an easy way to advertise the animals on the black market. More here >

This is the first time that Hen Harriers have nested successfully in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 2015 when a single chick fledged. More here >

Changes to UK farming practices probably didn't cause a crash in the number of Bewick's Swans, according to to new research by WWT. More here >

This year's British Birdwatching Fair will support the creation of Argentina's largest national park, in the process providing a haven to nearly a million flamingos and shorebirds. More here >

Recent satellite images and photos taken from helicopters show the King Penguin population on Ile aux Cochon has collapsed, with barely 200,000 remaining. More here >

Jon Dunn brings you his comprehensive roundup of the week's best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. More here >

Andy Stoddart reviews this unique and spectacular handbook - the most complete and comprehensive photographic guide to the passerines of the Western Palearctic. More here >