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Welcome to the Rare Bird Alert

Established in 1991 Rare Bird Alert is the longest running instant birdnews service in the UK. Our team of experienced and dedicated birders check and send reports as soon as they break, sixteen hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Ways to get our birdnews

We offer the most comprehensive range of birdnews services to suit all birders. If rarity hunting is your thing, just like to bird locally or only go birding occasionally we have a solution to meet your needs. If you would like any advice or help with any of our services please contact us today.

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Pagers

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Still the ultimate tool for birders in the field who don't want to miss news.

  • Unrivalled reception works in many parts of the country where mobiles don't. Particularly good coverage in rural 'birding' areas
  • Flexible change the areas you get news from whenever you want
  • Packages to suit all birders
    local pagers covering individual counties or entire coverage for the UK, you decide
  • TRY FOR FREE today
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From
£134
per year

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Online

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  • Live birdnews over 100,000 sightings per year, updated all day, every day
  • Newsmaps so you can see where the birds are
  • Photo Gallery share your photos of birds in Britain
  • Previous Records fully searchable database of all the accepted rarities in Britain and Ireland, including maps, stats and photos
  • Articles finders' accounts, identification papers, news stories and much more
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Only
£59.99
per year

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Phones

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iPhone and Android App

  • Alerts instant alerts on breaking news
  • Browse the news search the news using quick links or build advanced filters
  • Gallery latest UK bird photos

Text messages

  • Instant text alerts to breaking news to any phone
  • Great for occasional use
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From
£59.99
per year

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Latest article

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Anting gives Japanese Thrushes a chemical defence

Experiments in Japan show that ants can add repellent compounds to plumage and remove louse flies, providing direct evidence for a long-debated bird behaviour. More here >

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Jet lag shifts Manx Shearwaters off course

Twenty years of tracking show that rapid east-west flights can desynchronise the seabirds' body clocks and produce predictable sun-compass errors. More here >

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Henderson Petrel may breed in French Polynesia

Museum skins and scattered sightings suggest the Endangered seabird may have bred in the Tuamotu and Gambier islands for at least a century, but direct proof is still missing. . More here >

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Two gamekeepers charged over Ruabon Moor snares

North Wales Police say two men will appear in court over alleged illegal snare-setting, with incidents said to span July 2025 to July 2026. More here >

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Rare breeding bird report confirms a new species breeding for the UK

Blyth's Reed Warbler has bred in the UK for the first time, according to the latest report from the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. More here >