OrnithologyRobins spotted in almost two thirds of Swiss gardens
SDA
14.1.2025 - 08:45
A house sparrow, also known as a sparrow, sits on a stalk. This bird species has been counted over 16,000 times. (archive picture)
Keystone
Volunteers have counted around 100,000 birds in Swiss gardens and parks. The most frequently counted bird is the sparrow with 16,532 individuals, followed by the great tit and the crow.
Keystone-SDA
14.01.2025, 08:45
SDA
On average, almost 10 species were counted per garden, Birdlife announced on Tuesday. Around 4,000 people across Switzerland took part in the "Hour of Winter Birds" 2025 last weekend.
The most widespread species was the great tit, which was seen in almost 87 percent of gardens with 10,352 specimens, followed by the blackbird and blue tit. The bird of the year 2025, the robin, is in 7th place and has been spotted in 60.1 percent of gardens.
The sighting of 1386 bramblings was particularly exciting, the report continued. "The species is a winter visitor from the north and does not come to Switzerland in the same numbers every year. Anyone who sees them in their garden has probably created a near-natural environment," Raffael Ayé, Managing Director of Birdlife Switzerland, was quoted as saying in the press release.
The sighting of several starlings, blackcaps, chickadees and black redstarts was also astonishing. These species had previously left Switzerland completely or for the most part in the fall. However, the proportion of wintering birds is steadily increasing. Climate change is most likely responsible for this.
Fewer finches sighted
The organization is concerned that fewer finches have been counted this year than in previous years. The numbers of goldfinches, greenfinches and siskins as well as other finch species were down. There could be various reasons for this. On the one hand, the greenfinch, for example, has been affected by a disease for several years. On the other hand, finches need a diverse range of seeds. Near-natural habitats with diverse plants are therefore important for them.
Birdlife Switzerland has been organizing this type of citizen science campaign for years in order to gather information on bird life and increase knowledge about birds among the general public. The "Hour of the Winter Birds" campaign was the first time it was carried out throughout Switzerland.