Overview
- The annual one-hour garden bird count run by NABU and LBV reported an average of 28.31 birds per submission nationwide, the lowest in 22 years and about 16% below 2018.
- House sparrow stayed the most reported species but fell 8% from last year, showing strain even in a bird long common in cities and towns.
- Several species rose in 2026, with blackcap up about 30%, chiffchaff up 22%, chaffinch up 25%, and blackbird up 13% after heavy losses from the Usutu virus in 2024.
- Saxony’s tally logged 2,996 participants and 65,349 birds, yet sparrow counts dropped about 10% and farmland birds were rare, with only one lapwing and no grey partridge reported.
- Fears of a new finch trichomoniasis outbreak were not confirmed, as organizers saw finch numbers hold steady in this year’s results.