Anyone who is fascinated by the chirping in their environment can become a nature observer: a special website on the local bird world has received more than 260,000 sightings in around two years. According to the data collected in this way, the blackbird is the most frequently reported poultry in Tyrol.
The sightings have been recorded on the website www.naturbeobachtung.at since 2019. The Naturschutzbund has been pleased about a 48 percent increase in reports since then. The voluntary observers are also called “Citizen Scientists”. “We want to use the data to document changes in populations and carry out bird protection campaigns,” says Genot Neuwirth, project manager at naturbeobachtung.at
Blackbird almost everywhere
The most frequently reported wild bird species in Tyrol is the blackbird with 4 percent. This bird can be found in parks, gardens and city centers close to settlements. It often feeds on earthworms or beetles. Trees and bushes are used for breeding. Ex aequo in second place are the great tit, robin, mallard and coal tit with 3 percent each.
Contribution to the ecosystem
The Nature Conservation Association and the “Animal Committed” initiative refer to the important contribution birds make to the ecosystem – as natural enemies of pests, pollinators of fruit or as “garbage police”. Danger threatens due to the decimation of insects – through their control and because there is a lack of “colorful” flower meadows.