Animals
Nabu: Forest birds are increasingly conquering residential areas
Typical forest birds, such as the great spotted woodpecker, are increasingly found in residential areas. Photo
© Lando Hass/dpa
More than 58,000 people counted birds nationwide for four days in May during the 20th “Garden Bird Hour”. Conservationists are now drawing initial conclusions from the long-term comparison.
Anyone who is in gardens, parks and from the balcony If you observe birds, you can increasingly discover species that are actually native to forests.
“Our figures show that typical forest birds such as great spotted woodpeckers, jays and wood pigeons have conquered settlement areas in the past 20 years because they apparently find a good supply of food and safe conditions in gardens and parks,” said Nabu Federal Managing Director Leif Miller during the Presentation of the results of the hands-on counting campaign “Hour of the Garden Birds”.
In contrast, insect-eating species that breed in buildings, such as house martins, barn swallows and black redstarts, have been seen less and less in populated areas, said Miller. He cited the decline in insects and the lack of nesting opportunities as possible reasons for this. Anyone who wants to help the affected bird species can best do so by creating natural gardens or nesting aids on buildings, said NABU bird protection expert Martin Rümmler.
According to Nabu, from May 9th to 12th, more than 58,000 people across Germany took part in the bird count in cooperation with the Bavarian State Association for Bird Protection and reported more than 1.2 million animals. As in many years before, the house sparrow was seen most frequently, followed by the blackbird and great tit. However, due to the warmer than average spring, migratory birds such as the chiffchaff were reported significantly more frequently than in the previous year. The wren was also seen more frequently than last year.