The house sparrow is currently the most commonly seen bird in gardens and parks in Germany. This emerges from the participatory campaign “Hour of the Winter Birds”, as announced by the German Nature Conservation Association (Nabu) in Berlin and the Bavarian State Association for Bird and Nature Conservation (LBV).
The house sparrow was also one of the most frequently sighted birds last year. Surprisingly, according to Nabu, great tits and blue tits are in second and third place. In general, forest bird species such as great and coal tits, great spotted woodpeckers and jays were discovered more often as guests in gardens and parks. In addition, twice as many cranes as in 2023 were seen leaving the northern German lowlands.
Great interest in the participation campaign
According to the two organizations, over 130,000 people took part in what they said was Germany’s largest scientific participation campaign this time – almost a third more than last year. “We are very pleased about the great interest in nature,” said Nabu managing director Leif Miller.
To take part in the activity, volunteers should spend an hour on the first weekend in January observing the birds at feeders in gardens, parks or on balconies. According to Nabu, citizens reported an average of 35 birds per garden (previous year 34). The campaign took place for the 14th time. With the help of long-term observations, the experts want to get information about how the local bird world is changing.
The next bird count is the “Hour of the Garden Birds”. It takes place from May 9th to 12th. Scientific projects in which citizens can participate are also known as citizen science.
