Nature conservation
Black redstart is “Bird of the Year” 2025
With around 30 percent of the vote, the black redstart narrowly prevailed against the long-eared owl in the election. photo
© Peter Zschunke/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
The black redstart is the successor to the lapwing. Next year he will be an ambassador for more bird protection as “Bird of the Year”.
The black redstart is the “Bird of the Year” for 2025. In a vote on the Internet, the delicate songbird beat its competitors with around 30 percent of the votes, as the German Nature Conservation Association (Nabu) and the Bavarian Nature Conservation Association LBV announced. The long-eared owl took second place, followed by the black woodpecker, black stork and crane.
This time, more than 143,000 people took part in the public election – and loudly Nabu more than ever before. “We are very pleased about the highest participation in a bird election to date. It shows that birds and nature move people,” said Nabu expert Martin Rümmler.
Building breeders and insect eaters with problems
The two nature conservation associations have been choosing the “Bird of the Year” for more than 50 years to draw attention to bird protection. Since 2021, the population has been able to vote online. However, Nabu and LBV preselect five candidates. Each of them represents an important conservation issue.
According to the LBV, the black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) likes to nest in house niches or under gables, but is finding fewer and fewer breeding places in renovated houses. The decline in insects is also troubling him, as they are on his menu alongside berries.
The 13 to 15 centimeter tall bird is one of the early risers: it lets out its melodic song before dawn. The black redstart usually spends the winter in North Africa or the Middle East, but some animals also overwinter here.
Voted “Bird of the Year” bird portrait Black Redstart