“41% of the species encountered in gardens in the spring have decreased” in 10 years!

For 10 years, the LPO has launched an operation to count garden birds throughout France. The assessment of this decade of observations reported by the French makes it possible to make an inventory of the species present in our country.

The Garden Bird Observatory, managed by the LPO, the League for the Protection of Birds, and the Vigie-nature team (National Museum of Natural HistoryNational Museum of Natural History and French Office for Biodiversity) collected 6.5 million observations between 2012 and 2022. Each French person owning a piece of land, or even a balconybalcony, is invited to participate. Over the past 10 years, the number of participating gardens has increased tenfold, from 3,000 in 2012 to almost 30,000 in 2022. In addition to this participation annualannual citizens, two official counts are carried out in the space of an hour, in winter, in spring.

This observatory of participative sciences makes it possible to understand the state of conservation of the different species present in France, but not only: ” This provides unparalleled insight into the health of biodiversity as a whole. Birds thus act as barometersbarometers of the health of the Planet, allowing us to take pulsepulse », specifies the balance sheet of the LPO.

Birds are very sensitive to environmental changes and this has an impact on their way of life: climate change, for example, can lead to speciesspecies to spread over the territory differently in France, and to shift their migration. The changes observed in one species reflect those occurring in other types of animals, such as populations of grassland butterflies, which decline at the same rate as those of agricultural birds.

Falling bird numbers in spring

The LPOLPO precise ” that over the past ten years, the numbers of 41% of species encountered in gardens in the spring have thus decreased, confirming the decline linked to the overall destructuring of ecosystemsecosystems already observed elsewhere. This is the case, for example, of the Black Swift (-46%), victim of the disappearance of insectsinsects ruffles due to pesticidespesticidesthe recurrence of heatwave episodes and renovationsrenovations buildings that reduce its possibilities of nesting under the roofsroofs ».

Here is the Top 5 of the most observed species in spring in gardens in 2022:

1. Merle ;
2. house sparrow;
3. collared dove;
4. Wood pigeon ;
5. Talkative Magpie.

There are also more doves, wood pigeons, robins, goldfinchesgoldfinches and blackcaps than 10 years ago, but fewer chickadees, swallows, swifts and European greenfinches.

More birds in our gardens in winter

However, the winter counts may be surprising: almost half of the species are on the increase in our gardens, while their national populations are however in sharp decline! ” This finding can be explained in particular by the scarcity of food resources in areas of intensive agriculture and the transfer of these birds to gardens. “, specifies the LPO.

Here is the Top 5 of the most observed species in winter in gardens in 2022:

1. Great Tit;
2. House robin;
3. Blue tit;
4. blackbird;
5. House sparrow.

The changes observed show that there are more wood pigeons and black crows observed in the space of 10 years, but fewer greenfinches from Europe, sittelles torchepotssittelles torchepots and oak jays.

A new decade of observations is starting for the Garden Bird Observatory and every Frenchman is once again invited to participate by registering on the site.