Necropsy data for predatory birds found dead in UK, 2018-2024
https://doi.org/10.5285/851a5053-20d0-4711-a197-002a5d81cc82
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This dataset is available under the terms of the Open Government Licence
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This dataset provides provenance data, necropsy observations, including cause of death, age, sex and nutritional status for predatory birds received by the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) between 2018 and 2024. Dead birds from across Britain were collected by volunteers and submitted to the PBMS. For each carcass, provenance, collection date, age, sex and fat score (a six point visual assessment of body condition) were recorded, and a necropsy was carried out to determine the probable cause of death. During necropsy, observations were documented and samples retained in the PBMS archive, labelled with a unique carcass reference number, species and tissue type. Multiple tissues were collected, weighed and archived at −20 °C, including liver, combined kidneys, brain, internal fat, femur bone, primary feathers and whole wing.
Publication date: 2026-06-08
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Format
Comma-separated values (CSV)
Spatial information
Study area
Spatial representation type
Tabular (text)
Spatial reference system
OSGB 1936 / British National Grid
Temporal information
Temporal extent
2018-01-01 to 2024-12-31
Provenance & quality
Birds found dead by the public, the contributor, are submitted to the scheme via the Royal Mail postal service using UN3373 compliant packaging supplied by the scheme. On receipt by the scheme, birds are assigned a unique numeric reference number and then frozen at -20°C. The contributor provide provenance data including location and data the bird was found, referred to as the collection date within the scheme. These details are checked by a staff member when they are entered into the scheme's Oracle database. At a later date the bird is allowed to thaw at ambient temperature prior to necropsy examination which is carried out in a Class 1 biological safety cabinet. A combination of observations and measurements using either an electronic micrometre or a two-place balance (10 mg) are recorded. Consistency in observation among those carrying out necropsies are ensured by annual joint necropsies (typically two days per year). Instruments are calibrated on a daily basis. Collected tissue samples are then stored in the PBMS Tissue Archive at -20°C.
Licensing and constraints
This dataset is available under the terms of the Open Government Licence 
Cite this dataset as:
Walker, L.; Potter, E.; Dodd, B. (2026). Necropsy data for predatory birds found dead in UK, 2018-2024. NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/851a5053-20d0-4711-a197-002a5d81cc82
Related
This dataset is included in the following collections
Correspondence/contact details
Other contacts
Publisher
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
info@eidc.ac.uk
Rights holder
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology