Bird Atlas 2027-31: what it is and how to take part

The first full map of Britain and Ireland's birds in almost 20 years.

Updated 8 October 2026

What a bird atlas is

An atlas maps where each species lives and roughly how many there are, square by square. Volunteers visit set squares in winter and in the breeding season and record what they find. Compare one atlas with the last and you can see which birds have spread, which have retreated and where.

The last one was Bird Atlas 2007-11. A lot has changed since. Great White Egret and Cattle Egret now breed in Britain. Turtle Dove and Willow Tit have gone from many areas. The new atlas will put numbers on that.

Who is running it

• British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
• BirdWatch Ireland
• RSPB
• Scottish Ornithologists' Club (SOC)
• Welsh Ornithological Society (WOS)

It covers Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Key dates

• March 2026: partnership announced.
• Autumn 2026: project launch.
• 1 November 2027: fieldwork begins with the first winter season.
• 2031: fieldwork ends.

How to take part

The partners have said the atlas will rely on thousands of volunteer surveyors and that they want it open to as many people as possible, including visitors. The detail of how to register, which squares need cover and how records are sent in had not been published when this page was written. The BTO's Bird Atlas 2027-31 page is the place to watch.

What you can do before then:

• Get your ID sharp. Atlas work is mostly common birds, identified quickly and often by sound. The side-by-side ID guides cover the pairs people mix up.
• Learn calls. Play the daily Bird Call game, and check yourself in the field with Bird Hear.
• Get to know a local patch. One area, visited through the year, teaches you what is normal and what is not.
• Keep records. Dates, places and counts. The habit matters more than the tool.

Where Where's That Bird? fits

We are not part of the atlas and records logged here do not go into it. Where's That Bird? is a free life list and ID tool: log what you see in your Birdedex, name a song with Bird Hear, and see what others are reporting on the map. It is a good way to build the skills and the habit before atlas fieldwork starts. We will update this page when the partners publish how to sign up.

Questions people ask

When does Bird Atlas 2027-31 start?

Fieldwork begins on 1 November 2027 and runs to 2031. The project itself launched in autumn 2026.

Who runs the Bird Atlas?

Five organisations: the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), BirdWatch Ireland, the RSPB, the Scottish Ornithologists' Club and the Welsh Ornithological Society.

Can beginners take part in the Bird Atlas?

The partners say they want it to be the most inclusive and accessible atlas so far. How beginners will contribute had not been published when this page was written.

When was the last Bird Atlas?

Bird Atlas 2007-11. Before that there were breeding atlases for 1968-72 and 1988-91 and a winter atlas for 1981-84.