Overview
- Preliminary 2026 Tuinvogeltelling results show the great tit at No. 1 for the first time, with house sparrow observations down about 8% year over year.
- Reported participation and totals vary across outlets, from nearly 110,000 to about 140,000 volunteers and roughly 1.5 million to 1.9 million birds, reflecting ongoing data reconciliation.
- Organisers and experts attribute the sparrow’s long-term decline to garden paving, fewer nesting opportunities in modern housing, and reduced food in tidy, stone-heavy yards.
- Other species show mixed trends, with the starling returning to the top ranks and increases noted for blackbird, ring-necked parakeet and great spotted woodpecker.
- Regional tallies, including Gelderland and Groningen, mirror the national shift with great tits leading and house sparrows second under the count’s half-hour, garden-or-balcony protocol that excludes overflying birds.