  We provide an overview of the observational properties of the four major
Taurid showers, namely the Northern and Southern Taurids (#017 NTA and #002
STA), the Beta Taurids (#173 BTA) and the Zeta Perseids (#172 ZPE). Analysing
more than two decades of meteor observations from visual, optical and radar
measurements we present the Taurids average activity, annual variations in
strength, radiant drift and orbital variations as a function of solar longitude
and particle size. The Taurid showers are detected over several weeks in the
spring and autumn, but their annual activity level is generally low (less than
15 visual meteors per hour). We find the STA to be predominant in autumn, while
its twin the ZPE dominates over the BTA in spring. Due to their long duration,
the position of each shower's radiant and orbital elements are variable with
time. Optical measurements have previously recorded enhanced STA activity and
increased fireball rates caused by the return of a swarm of meteoroids trapped
in the 7:2 mean motion resonance with Jupiter. However, we find no presence of
the swarm in radar data, suggesting that small meteoroids are removed from the
resonance faster than fireball-producing meteoroids. We also find the STA to be
enriched in smaller particles early in their activity period. The differences
we identify in our analysis between the showers at different particle sizes
provide strong observational constraints to future dynamical modelling of the
Taurid Meteoroid Complex.
