Fewer and fewer blackbirds in Flemish gardens
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The blackbird, for more than a decade the most common bird in Flemish gardens, is hopping around there less and less. The cause is the Usutu virus, which has led to a dramatic decline in the population since 2016. That’s an important conclusion of nature organisation Natuurpunt's report on its Great Bird Count Weekend, which took place at the end of January.
Between 2004 and 2017, the blackbird was invariably the most widespread garden bird, with a presence in 80 to even 90 per cent of the Flemish gardens. This year, the blackbird was seen in only 63 per cent of gardens, stated Natuurpunt in its report. That's 4.9 per cent less than in 2024 and almost a third less than when counts started in 2004.
The cause of the decline is the Usutu virus. This is a relatively new disease that reached continental Europe from Africa via Tuscany early this century. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and mainly affects birds. As a result, 15 per cent of the blackbird's breeding population disappeared in 2016, and a lot more in 2017, with a 50 per cent decline in the breeding population in some parts of Flanders.
The house sparrow also scored the worst since counts began. It was spotted in only 42.4 per cent of gardens. That is 4.7 per cent less than in 2024 and almost a fifth less than in 2004. The main cause concerning the house sparrow is the disappearance of its specific habitat, such as rougher gardens and bushes. In absolute numbers, the house sparrow still leads the top three, followed by the great tit and the chaffinch.
Collared doves do less well too, presumably due to the dominance of the larger wood pigeon. The jackdaw and the goldfinch are on the other hand doing better and better.
This year, 57,650 people took part in Natuurpunt's Great Bird Count Weekend. In the process, a total of 887,728 birds were spotted.
#FlandersNewsService | A blackbird (Turdus merula) © BELGA PHOTO Patrick Pleul / dpa
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