As of: February 27, 2024, 8:00 p.m
By: Franziska Konrad
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Endangered bird: The whinchat is one of many species at risk of extinction.
© Patrick Pleul
Less and less birdsong - will that soon become a reality?
Many bird species in Bavaria are threatened with extinction.
An expert explains what the local bird world is doing.
Königsdorf
– year after year it is one of the first harbingers of spring: the chirping of birds that welcomes you in the morning – like these days – as you walk out the front door.
But it is also a fact: In Bavaria, many bird species are threatened with extinction.
What the local bird world is doing, how easy it is to help the animals and why they are important for people - Prof. Dr.
Wolfgang Goymann an answer.
The Königsdorfer works as a professor of behavioral ecology at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Seewiesen (Starnberg district) and at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich.
Species extinction: Loss of hay meadows plays a major role
The extinction of species is also noticeable in the region, reports the 56-year-old.
“However, we have to differentiate between garden and meadow birds.” According to Goymann, the latter are most affected, for example the whinchat, the lapwing and the meadow pipit.
The scientist sees the loss of certain landscapes, including the so-called hay meadows, as the main reason for this development.
These areas were created through centuries of traditional farming by farmers.
Many of these meadows are now endangered.
This is due, among other things, to the increasing pressure on farmers, who have to cultivate their land more and more intensively.
“An incredible amount of habitat for birds and insects is being lost here,” complains the Königsdorf resident.
“These species-rich meadows are, so to speak, the rainforests of our district.”
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Climate change leaves its mark - brood is lost
Apart from that, there are other factors that make life difficult for the feathered animals: such as glass surfaces on houses.
“The number of bird strikes there is significantly higher than, for example, with wind turbines.” In contrast to the past, modern buildings are built almost completely sealed.
“In old farmhouses there are countless cracks in the roofs in which birds like the swifts breed,” reports the scientist.
Climate change also leaves its mark.
Severe weather events have characterized the past few years.
“If some species lose their brood for several years in a row, this is noticeable in the population,” says Goymann.
As temperatures rise, new birds are settling
But there is also positive news.
Due to the rising temperatures, new birds are settling in the Free State, such as the bee-eater.
Most migratory birds fly south between August and October.
They return from March and May.
These periods change in part due to climate change.
Goymann: “So-called partial migrants like the blackbird decide at relatively short notice whether they will fly away in the winter or not.”
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Garden birds don't just delight with their singing
However, the numerous native garden birds in the district are doing “relatively well”.
According to the scientist, it is not just their singing that has a positive effect on human well-being.
“The whinchat alone eats numerous insects every day - and thus keeps flies, horseflies and spiders away from us.” The problem is that the need for order in local gardens is extremely high.
“In principle, this destroys living space,” says the Königsdorfer.
Every garden owner can simply help their feathered companions by “leaving their green space a little sloppy”.
Despite some negative factors, there are still a comparatively large number of bird species living in the region, emphasizes the 56-year-old.
“We have very little corn cultivation, a lot of grassland - especially in the Loisach and Kochelsee areas - the Isar is the last remaining wild river in Germany,” says Goymann.
“In short: we still have some species-rich landscapes that have long since disappeared in other parts of Germany.”
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