Pause to listen for a ‘twit-twoo’

People are being asked to listen out for the “twit-twoo” of tawny owls.

Prompted by concerns that the birds with the classic call are in decline, the British Trust for Ornithology is asking people to report tawny owls in their garden, park or woodland this winter.

Their number is thought to have declined in the last few decades and they have recently been added to the “amber” list of birds of conservation concern. They are asking people to decide on a location, and then listen for 20 minutes for one evening a week for the tawny owls’ call for the survey, which runs from Sept 30 to March 31.

The trust says people will be providing valuable data – even not hearing an owl is important information too, as it indicates where the species is missing.

Claire Boothby, the survey organiser, said: “The more people who take part, the better picture scientists at BTO will get.”