Germany's garden birds: Sparrows in decline while finches show recovery

Alarm signal for nature in settlements

"The house sparrow is still number one on our ranking of the most reported birds, but it has suffered a loss of nine percent compared to the previous year," said NABU bird conservation expert Martin Rümmler.

Rümmler warned that the decline in such a common species could be an alarm signal for the state of nature in human settlements. "If such common species as the house sparrow are being reported less and less, that could be an alarm signal for the state of nature in our settlements," he said, citing a lack of food and loss of habitat in cities as likely causes.

The count also revealed steep declines for common swifts and house martins, with sightings down 25 percent and 12 percent respectively. "These numbers must worry us," Rümmler said.

Sharp declines for swifts and martins

"Both species are building-nesters and insect-eaters," Rümmler explained. "Insect decline and bird-unfriendly renovation of old buildings could therefore play a role." He added that some migratory birds may have returned from their winter quarters later than usual.

In contrast, finch species showed positive trends. Chaffinch sightings rose by 14 percent nationwide, while the European greenfinch recorded a 3 percent increase.

Finches show signs of recovery

NABU had placed a special focus on finches this year after previous fears that the Trichomonas pathogen, which can be especially fatal to finches, would spread further. Rümmler stated that a new wave of Trichomonas infections does not appear to be emerging.

"One cause is presumably that the greenfinch suffered more from the Trichomonas infection waves than the chaffinch," Rümmler said. He advised bird enthusiasts to maintain hygiene when feeding birds, preferably using feeding columns and changing water daily, as the pathogen spreads mainly at feeding and watering stations.

Blackbirds were reported at similar frequencies to 2025, with no major losses observed. In previous years, larger blackbird losses had been recorded, presumably due to the tropical Usutu virus.

The blackcap, an insect-eating warbler with a wingspan of about 20 centimeters, appears to be thriving in central German gardens. Sightings in Saxony-Anhalt were up 50 percent compared to the previous year.

NABU uses the 'Stunde der Gartenvögel' and its sister campaign 'Stunde der Wintervögel' to determine which bird species are most common in cities and villages and to derive population trends for various species across Germany.