We are seeing worrying declines in many of our African migrants. The Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatchers have undergone declines of 60%. Nightingales, Spotted Flycatchers and Garden Warblers are also amongst the group to have exhibited downward population trends. Even the Willow Warbler is close to being red-listed.

Help us find out more!

Our knowledge of ecology of the migrants in their wintering grounds is extremely poor and severely hampers our ability to explain these declines and our ability to conserve this group of species. We lack even basic information about when birds arrive, the habitats they use and how they move around Africa.

Changes between 1994 and 2007	(BBS results)

With worrying changes in distribution appearing in Atlas maps, we really need to get started now, if we are to try to explain what is happening to African migrants.

Please support the Out of Africa appeal.

Out of Africa Research

We are proposing that the BTO should start working on projects that fall into three main areas:

• Set up special studies in Africa to try to understand how birds use different areas and habitats during the course of our winter. We’ll probably need the help of volunteers for this work.

• Work internationally – to look at the bigger picture of European / African migration and to develop close working relationships with conservationists and scientists across a range of African countries.

• Look for evidence within data from the Nest Record Scheme and the Ringing Scheme to see if problems are more closely linked to habitat and/or climate changes in the UK or within Africa.

A suite of BTO Projects

Amongst the suite of proposed projects, is one in which we will be working together with RSPB & BirdLife partners in Africa. This is a hugely exciting research project in West Africa that will contribute enormously to our understanding of when the birds arrive, what habitats the species use and how they move about through the autumn, winter and spring. North-south transects from the Sahara to the coast will be identified and studied over the next three years.

And this is just the start. This initial investigation will help us focus on more detailed ecological work that needs to take place in the wintering areas, to assess the problems faced by our long-distance migrants.

For more information about species-specific projects and a PDF of the Out of Africa appeal leaflet
click on the links in the File Sharing section.

If you would like to read updates about the fieldwork in Africa, in collabaration with RSPB, Ghana Wildlife Society and Naturama, please see our 'Migrant birds in Africa' blog.

Thank you.