The new report ‘Birds in Germany – Population Status 2025’ (“Vögel in Deutschland – Bestandssituation 2025“) is available in German for free download to all interested parties on the websites of the Federation of German Avifaunists (DDA) and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).
Breeding birds: winners and losers
The German species list currently contains 304 breeding bird species, including 244 established native breeding bird species, 25 irregularly breeding species, 18 extinct species and 17 established neozoans.
Between 77 and 105 million pairs of birds breed in Germany every year, slightly more than in the first half of the 2010s. As before, the ten most common species account for over 50 million breeding pairs. Blackbirds, chaffinches and great tits top the list. The report highlights that the dynamics of population changes in breeding bird species are increasing and may be partly related to global warming. The number of species with stable populations has been declining . Around 40% of breeding bird species showed population increases between 2010 and 2022 (with growth of 2000%, the bee-eater is the top species, clearly benefiting from warmer temperatures), while 30% showed population declines.
The main concern for bird conservation remains the type of agricultural landscape, especially wet grassland. In the period 1998-2022, seven species associated with open agricultural land – the partridge, lapwing, corncrake and whinchat, as well as the dunlin, snipe and black-tailed godwit – were among the 20 species that suffered the greatest losses.The once common meadow bird, the lapwing, declined by 66%, as did the snipe to the same extent.
Lapwings decreased by 66%. Photo: Peter Prokosch
Flagship species for birdconservation, such as the eagle owl, great bustard, crane and white-tailed eagle, prove that breeding populations can be sustainably increased through species-specific conservation measures combined with the designation of protected areas. This can serve as a model for national species conservation programmes.
Resting and wintering water birds
Germany’s great importance and climate change-induced shifts
The maximum resting numbers of waterbird species total at least 10 million individuals, but the actual total populations passing through Germany are many times higher because, due to the so-called ‘turnover’, not all individuals of a resting bird population are present at the same time.
- The resting and moulting populations of more than half of the waterbird species found in our region are increasing. At the same time, a number of species – mostly waders – are showing declining numbers, e.g. avocets and oystercatchers.
- Germany’s importance as a wintering area has increased as a result of shifts in resting areas caused by milder winters: 70% of waterbird species have shown increases in winter over the last 12 years. However, declines in this country can also be linked to climatic changes.
- Of 19 waterbird species, more than a third of the population of the respective biogeographical population temporarily resides in Germany, including the common scoter, crane, red knot, Bewick’s swan and red-crested pochard.
Nature conservation is worthwhile
It is worth reading this report in detail to be convinced that nature conservation pays off. The fact that the overall population situation of native, regularly breeding bird species has improved slightly is in many cases thanks to very specific conservation measures. For example, Germany has designated 743 bird sanctuaries for trigger species for which the country bears special responsibility, and there are also signs of a slight improvement for these species.
This should motivate us to tackle major challenges such as climate change and the serious loss of valuable natural areas. It will therefore be crucial to actually achieve the target agreed worldwide and also in the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (the so-called 30×30 target): By 2030, at least 30% of the EU’s marine and terrestrial areas (forests, wetlands, peatlands, grasslands and coastal ecosystems) should be protected. In addition, 10% of the EU’s marine and terrestrial areas, including all remaining primary and old-growth forests and other carbon-rich ecosystems, should remain largely untouched.