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A selection of breeding, wintering and migration atlases for Great Britain and Europe and books that examine the status and distribution of birds in the UK. The books are listed by publication date with the most recent at the top.

Bird Atlas 2007-11: The Breeding and Wintering Birds of Britain and Ireland

Dawn Balmer, Simon Gillings, Brian Caffrey, Bob Swann, Iain Downie, Rob Fuller

2013

"Bird Atlas 2007-2011 is the definitive statement on breeding and winter bird distributions in Britain and Ireland. It builds on previous atlases (1968-1972 Breeding Atlas, 1981-1984 Winter Atlas, 1988-1991 Breeding Atlas) to show how the fortunes of the birds of Britain and Ireland have changed over the last 40 years. Bird Atlas 2007-2011 presents over 1300 detailed maps for nearly 300 species, showing where each breeds and winters, where they are most and least abundant and where status is changing. The species accounts and chapters bring together the latest scientific findings to explain these patterns and highlight the major issues facing our changing bird faunas."

The Status of Birds in Britain and Ireland

David T. Parkin and Alan G. Knox

2009

"As the combined British and Irish list edges ever closer to 600 (several new species are added each year), the need for a new, up-to-date status of our birds becomes more apparent. This authoritative work of reference gives a detailed assessment of the status and distribution of every species on the British and Irish lists, for the first time since 1971. Importantly, it also covers each subspecies known to have occurred on our islands. The book is complemented with a 32-page colour section illustrating some of the species and habitats representative of the British Isles. This essential work deserves to be on the shelves of every birder and ornithologist with an interest in the status and distribution of our birds."

A Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds

Brian Huntley, Rhys E. Green, Yvonne C. Collingham and Sophia G. Willis

2007

"An exploration of the relationships between the distributions of birds breeding in Europe and the climate, and how future climatic change may alter each species' potential breeding distribution. It presents the results for 431 species. It also includes brief accounts for a further 48 native and 16 introduced species."

Birds in England

Andy Brown, Phil Grice

2005

This avifauna looks in detail at England and its birds, analysing present and historical data to present a complete picture of the status, range and abundance of every bird on the English list.

Introductory chapters general summaries of the composition and character of the English avifauna and bird habitats in England. These are followed by individual species accounts. Appendices include an annotated check-list of birds in England, calculations of breeding estimates for England for selected species and scientific names of non-bird species named in the text.

Birds in Europe: Population Estimates, Trends and Conservation Status

Editors: Ian Burfield and Frans van Bommel

BirdLife International

2004

"In 1994, BirdLife International published the landmark "Birds in Europe: their Conservation Status" - the first ever review of the conservation status of all regularly occurring European birds. This book rapidly became a cornerstone of BirdLife's conservation work and is widely used by the European Commission, national governments and NGO's. Fully updated, "Birds in Europe: Population Estimates, Trends and Conservation Status" covers the European continent from Greenland in the west to the Urals in the east, and from Svalbard in the north to the Canary Islands in the south, including Balkan and Caucasian countries where political instability made data collection impossible in 1994. Setting a new standard for conservation data, "Birds in Europe" (1994) was highly praised for the depth and breadth of its research. Monitoring programmes established since then have provided an even higher accuracy and quality of data for "Birds in Europe" (2004). Full population data is included on all 526 species regularly occurring in Europe. Half a page is devoted to each species, including an illustration, distribution map, population and trends data, status information, and a concise summary of its status across Europe."

The Migration Atlas: Movements of the Birds of Britain and Ireland

C. Wernham, M. Toms, J. Marchant, J. Clark, G. Siriwardena and S. Baillie

Poyser

2002

"Using a vast amount of data that the British Trust for Ornithology have collected from ringing recoveries, this title presents detailed and up-to-date information on bird migration. Since the ringing programme began in 1909, there have been around half a million recoveries of birds ringed in the UK. The data yielded have enabled the BTO to build up a picture of the movements of around 200 migratory species, and this book presents that information in a clear and concise format."

Red Data Birds in Britain

L.A. Batten, C.J. Bibby, P. Clement, G.D. Elliot and R.F. Porter

Poyser

2002

"The various Red Data Books prepared by the IUCN and ICBP have set the standards for recognizing birds close to, or at risk of extinction worldwide. This book, by focusing on vulnerable species living in or visiting Britain, sets out to define the British situation and to clearly establish both the importance of British populations and our own responsibilities for contributing to bird conservation. Compiled by an editorial team drawn from the Nature Conservancy Council and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, it identifies 117 species which demand care and attention. Obviously it includes species which breed in or visit Britain in small numbers and whose populations are threatened by natural or man-made circumstances. However, it also deals with birds which are common or numerous but which, due to their localized distribution worldwide, have the greater part of their European populations in British sites. Each of the species accounts provides up-to-date information on current populations, basic ecology, threats to the species and the legal protection and conservation measures now in force. General chapters deal with the state of Britain's various habitats, legal matters and conservation action for the future."

The State of the Nation's Birds

Chris Mead

2000

The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds: Their Distribution and Abundance

Editor: Ward J.M. Hagemeijer and Michael J. Blair

1997

"This landmark volume presents, for the first time, an integrated picture of the distribution and abundance of the breeding birds of Europe. The survey data, gathered by over 10,000 field ornithologists from every European country, in over 100 regional and national atlas projects, has been combined and mapped to show the presence or absence of 495 species in over 4400 50 x 50 km squares, many with data showing the present population size. The accompanying text written by a team of 450 authors in 38 countries elaborates on the mapped information, and presents data on a further 62 species too localised to map effectively. An international team of artists has provided lively illustrations of the mapped species."

Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain & Ireland: 1875-1900

Simon Holloway

1996

"An account of the distribution changes of Britain and Ireland's birds over the period 1875 to 1900. Individual species accounts include text and large colour distribution maps."

Collins Atlas of Bird Migration

Jonathan Elphick

1995

"This atlas traces the migratory paths of more than 100 bird species from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In addition to this a further 500 migratory species are catalogued, with details of their routes."

An Atlas of seabird distribution in North-west European waters

C.J. Stone

1995

Birds in Wales

R.Lovegrove, G.Williams & I.Williams

Poyser

1994

"This volume sets out for the first time the historical and current status of all the bird species found in Wales together with their present distribution. The three authors, all staff of the RSPB in Wales, have between them, an accumulated experience of some 80 years of first-hand knowledge of birds in the Principality. Their knowledge and love of the birds and Wales itself makes this authoritative volume a landmark both in Welsh and ornithological publishing."

Contents: The Welsh Countries (Administrative Boundaries); Myth and History; Sources and References; Principal Sites Mentioned in Species Accounts; Physical Characteristics and Bird Habitats; Bird Recording in Wales. The Impact of Agriculture on Birds; The Offshore Waters of Wales; Background to the Species Accounts.

Birds in Europe: Their Conservation Status

G.M. Tucker, M.F. Heath, L. Tomialojc and R.F.A. Grimmett

BirdLife International

1994

"This milestone publication presents the first thorough and detailed review of the conservation status of European birds. Based on detailed breeding and wintering population data collected in each country, the report provides a review of the population sizes and trends of Species of European Conservation Concern. The major threats to each species are discussed, with the basic measures that are needed to conserve them and their habitats."

The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain & Ireland 1988-1991

David Wingfield Gibbons, James B Reid & Robert A. Chapman

Poyser

Published for the British Trust for Ornithology, the Scottish Ornithologists Club and the Irish Wildbird Conservancy.

1993

An atlas of breeding birds based on surveys undertaken between 1988 and 1991. The introduction describes the methods used in the survey work and explains the various analyses of the data gathered. The species accounts include three maps for each species, one showing breeding distribution, one showing relative abundance of the species throughout its range, and one highlighting changes in distribution between the figures used for this atlas and those for the previous atlas. Species accounts also include a brief text, additional tables and a vignette. Appendices give details of rare breeders as well as extra tabular data.

The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain & Ireland

Peter Lack

Poyser

1986

A guide to the distribution and status of wintering birds in Britain and Ireland based on surveys carried out during the winters of 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84. The surveys were organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Irish Wildbird Conservancy.

Birds in Scotland

Valerie M.Thom

Poyser

1986

"This impressively comprehensive study and review of the birds in Scotland by Valerie Thom, editor of Scottish Birds and past-President of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club, may be said to follow on where the celebrated two volumes of The Birds of Scotland (1953), by Dr Baxter and Miss Rintoul, left off. It does more than that, however, since not only has there been a profound increase in ornithological coverage and data (as reflected in the species accounts), there have also been great changes in habitat and environment since the days of Baxter & Rintoul. These aspects form the themes of the ten preliminary chapters reviewing the Scottish scene today in terms of habitat, conservation, birdwatching and the changes in species status and distribution.The species accounts, the backbone of the book, review the period 1950-83 but include, where practicable, records of rarities and details of counts up to the spring of 1985; there are also brief summaries of earlier data based on the researches of Baxter & Rintoul. In all, 497 species are dealt with.The texts of major species accounts are complemented by 173 distribution maps and many tables of relevant data, and there are 129 species drawings by a team of artists under the editorship of Donald Watson, who also contributes chapter head pieces and other drawings. A section of photographs illustrates the varied habitats typical of Scotland today. There are, further, appendices and an extensive bibliography."

An Atlas Of The Birds Of The Western Palaearctic

Colin Harrison

1982

322 pages with a map for each Western Palaearctic species and accompanying text describing status, range, habitat and nesting information."

The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland

J.T.R. Sharrock

Poyser for British Trust for Ornithology and Irish Wildbird Conservancy

1976

The Atlas plots the results of the survey organised by the BTO and the IWC during the yeays 1968-72. Over 250 maps show the distribution of 218 species.

Breeding Birds of Britain and Ireland

John Parslow

1973

A historical summary of the status and distribution of all birds known to have bred in Britain and Ireland since 1800. Additional sections discuss extinctions, colonisations and fluctuations in breeding populations. The book is based on a series of papers by Parslow which appeared in the journal British Birds in the late 1960's.