Species extinction: Spring is becoming quieter. [FIGU – Zeitzeichen SE 153]

FIGU-Zeitzeichen Special Edition NUmber 153, May 2025

Species extinction: Spring is becoming quieter. Birdsong is as much a part of spring as fragrant flowers and buzzing insects. Only there are fewer and fewer birds. Daniela Gschweng

Even those who live in a city can notice it: spring sounds less loud than before. We know that there are fewer and fewer insects. Now it's the birds' turn. From 1980 to 2021, their numbers in the EU declined by 600 million birds. This is shown by a study by the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Once common bird species have been hit hardest. There are only half as many house sparrows as there were 40 years ago, or 250 million fewer birds. Europe has also lost 68 million skylarks and 75 million starlings. Yellow wagtails, another severely affected species, are only passing through Switzerland. There are 100 million fewer of them than in 1980. Overall, the breeding bird population has shrunk by 17 to 19 percent. Conservation measures help. In addition to sparrows, species extinction particularly affects species that depend on open cultivated land and migratory birds that travel long distances on their way to their wintering grounds. The study also shows, however, that conservation measures help. However, they cannot slow the decline. A loss of 900 million birds was offset by an increase of 300 million in other species. These include, above all, species that live in forests and near water and benefit from conservation measures, such as blackbirds and wrens. Since the turn of the millennium, the decline has also slowed somewhat, reported "Spektrum der Wissenschaft." Spring is getting quieter. A study published in 2021 by the University of East Anglia, which measured birdsong in Europe