Migratory birds know no borders. They provide a warning but also a source of hope. Find out more in the latest State of the World’s Birds, which @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social launched today sowb.birdlife.org

State of the World’s Birds | BirdLife

BirdLife International’s report on the state of the world's birds — trends, pressures, and conservation responses.

sowb.birdlife.org

Kicking off @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social #GlobalFlywaysSummit with the launch of our latest State of the World’s Birds in Nairobi, Kenya sowb.birdlife.org

BirdLife is partnering with multilateral development banks like ADB, CAF and World Bank to mobilise billions of $$ for nature conservation along the world’s flyways. Panel discussion at our #GlobalFlywaysSummit in Nairobi.

Exciting to hear Paul Matiku kick off BirdLufe’s 4-yearly Global Partnership Meeting in Nairobi. It is brilliant to see colleagues and old friends from 120 countries around the world. Busy days ahead as we plan our work for the rest of the decade. @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social

Colourful songbirds are more likely to be threatened, even those not known from the pet trade: conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

This morning I recorded the 500th species of moth in my garden: Hummingbird Hawk-moth (a surprising omission till now). They look a lot cooler when they're hovering and sipping nectar like a hummingbird....

What an amazing afternoon celebrating 10 years of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and David Attenborough Building, which began with me accidentally ending up in a small lift with the extraordinary centenarian as he arrived...

Good news! Ministers have finally given green light to new #NaturalHistory GCSE. We’ve campaigned so long for this! Big hats off to tireless advocate Mary Colwell 🙌 Now our young people will have a chance to get to know & love the natural world, to feel awe & wonder, & gain skills to protect it 🌷🌳🦡

Natural history GCSE to teach teenagers to plant wildflower-friendly gardens

Long-awaited course to examine human effects on natural world and explore everyday ways to aid biodiversity

theguardian.com

It’s been far too long since I’ve been birding in woods in the west at this time of year. Lovely views of wood warbler, redstart, pied and spotted flycatcher and goshawk in Forest of Dean and nearby Wales over the last couple of days.

Prof Bill Sutherland has a great series of YouTube videos covering various 'Conservation Concepts'. For his latest one he interviewed me about mapping important areas for global biodiversity and the role of Key Biodiversity Areas www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN9N... @billsutherland.bsky.social

Mapping important areas for global biodiversity

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts

youtube.com

I feel incredibly honoured (but a bit of an imposter) to have been elected today as a Fellow of the Royal Society today. Fantastic recognition for the conservation science that we do at BirdLife & testament to all my brilliant colleagues in BirdLife’s Science Division. @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social

New paper from @rspbscience.bsky.social shows that 8% of Key Biodiversity Areas in regions suitable for growing oil palm have some cultivation within them, but proportional extent of oil palm is 5X greater outside KBAs. url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/httpCX2Gh4... @keybiodiversity.bsky.social

Interesting new paper exploring the utility of different metrics for identifying Key Biodiversity Areas. Suggests modifying how we treat 'distinct genetic diversity' in the criteria for identifying KBAs www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @keybiodiversity.bsky.social

Comparison of metrics for identifying Key Biodiversity Areas

Achieving global biodiversity targets requires reliable identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). The KBA Standard defines six metrics to ident…

sciencedirect.com

Out today: my interview for the Finding Wildlife podcast by Akash Mehta: founder of the Fable Fund. He asked about my life story, experiences working around the world, my brilliant colleagues and the amazing BirdLife Partnership @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social. open.spotify.com/episode/2hyM...

Dr Stuart Butchart - Saving the World's Birds

open.spotify.com

Emperor Penguin has been uplisted by BirdLife to Endangered on the IUCN Red List. What does mean & what can we do about it? Join me online tomorrow at 5pm BST/12pm EDT to join a live Q&A. Register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cc2f60...

Emperor Penguin now Endangered!🐧 Our new IUCN Red List assessment reveals the shocking impact of climate change.🌍 Drastic declines and erratic changes in sea ice in Antarctica are projected to cause the Emperor Penguin population to halve by the 2080s.📉 Read more👉 www.birdlife.org/emperorpenguin

Over a quarter of a million seabirds on Rathlin Island are now safer! 💙 Rathlin Island has been declared ferret-free: a world-first conservation success helping Puffins, Guillemots and more raise their young safely again. Read the full story: www.rspb.org.uk/media-centre...

#CMSCOP15 is happening now in Campo Grande, Brazil! 🦅 We’re calling on governments to turn global commitments into real action for migratory species.📢 Learn more here.👉 www.birdlife.org/news/2026/03...

Migratory species connect our world, now we must act to protect them

In March 2026, governments from around the world will gather in Campo Grande, Brazil, for the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Taking place from 23…

birdlife.org

Key Biodiversity Areas are among the most important sites for nature globally. Our new paper reviews their history, describes the current network of >16500 sites and summarises their growing use by policymakers, governments and businesses onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Extent, characteristics and policy applications of Key Biodiversity Areas

A global standard for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) was published 10 years ago to provide a unified set of criteria for identifying ‘sites of significance for the global persist...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

I did an interview for BBC Wildlife’s Wild Lives podcast on some of my experiences, including challenges accessing the countryside as a wheelchair user. Big shout out to all the friends, family and passers by who’ve helped me over the years podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...

Nature by wheelchair, with Stuart Butchart

Podcast Episode · Wild Lives · 30/01/2026 · 34m

podcasts.apple.com

Translocation of Raso Larks to the island of Santa Luzia in 2018 after eradication of invasive cats has been spectacularly successful, with nearly 1000 individuals now. Great work by @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social partner Biosfera, and long-championed by Mike Brooke www.birdguides.com/news/raso-la...

Raso Lark reintroduction proves a triumph

After a small number of Raso Larks were translocated to Santa Luzia in 2018, the population has grown to as many as 1,000 individuals.

birdguides.com

Climate change and overfishing threaten African Penguins. BirdLife South Africa are fighting for this species’ future www.theguardian.com/environment/...

60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse – study

Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research finds

theguardian.com

Huge News from the Western Amazon: it's the year 2025 and we are still describing entirely new, strikingly-distinctive large-bodied bird species! Behold Tinamus resonans sp. nov. the Slaty-masked Tinamou mapress.com/zt/article/v... #Ornithology @tetzoo.bsky.social 🪶

Tentative signs of recovery in insectivorous birds in France following ban of neonicotinoid pesticides in 2018 - but further actions needed to recover populations www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Weak recovery of insectivorous bird populations after ban of neonicotinoids in France, hinting at lasting impacts

Neonicotinoids are expected to play a significant role in the decline of bird populations through their adverse effects on food resources (primarily i…

sciencedirect.com

New paper shows mortality of migratory shorebirds along China’s coast from hunting, fishery bycatch and, at aquaculture sites, bird deterrence measures accounts for 1-10% of total flyway populations for 11 species & is unsustainable for several of these. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Gripping video of the last 2 Slender-billed Curlews at www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/S.... I couldn't afford to join some mates who did a trip to Morocco to see them in 1992, 2 years before they disappeared. And last week, we declared the species extinct in our update to the IUCN Red List 😢

Slender-billed Curlew Declared Extinct

IUCN confirms the loss of a once-widespread Western Palearctic wader after three decades without a verified record

rarebirdalert.co.uk

I was struck by this graph showing the spectacular growth in the UK population of Goshawks over my lifetime, which are still recovering from the impacts of persecution and pesticides that almost wiped them out. Conor James discusses this phenomenon at www.birdguides.com/articles/it-...

🦅 Nearly 50% of Bearded Vulture territories in southern Africa have been abandoned. Human impacts, power lines & settlements, are key drivers, with food shortages adding pressure. Protecting them means tackling these threats head-on. doi.org/10.1650/COND... #VultureConservation #AfricanOrnithology

Anthropogenic activities influence the abandonment of Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) territories in southern Africa

Abstract. Developing an effective conservation strategy for a critically endangered species relies on identifying the most pressing threats to the species.

doi.org

Today a publication celebrating the legacy of Gustavo Fonseca is launched at the GEF pavilion at IUCN World Conservation Congress

Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today. Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology