Whinchat becomes the German Bird of the Year 2023

 The endangered bird Winchat is also known as the "meadow clown" because of its white facial band over its eyes.

[Winchat-Bird of the year 2023 Germany]

The whinchat will serve as the representative bird for the year 2023. The extremely endangered species received more than 43 percent of the votes cast in the public ballot, as reported by Nabu and the Bavarian State Association for Bird and Nature Conservation (LBV) on Thursday.

It easily prevailed over the tree sparrow, which finished in second place with 18 percent, as well as the red-backed shrike, the pied flycatcher, and the moorhen.


According to the LBV, the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is between 12 and 14 cm in height and gets its name from its breast and throat, which are a brownish-orange color. Because it has a white band over its face that covers its eyes, it is also known as the "meadow clown." The hoopoe has been selected as the Bird of the Year for this year.

"European endangered bird species"

 According to the figures, there were over 135,000 bird watchers who participated in the voting this year across the entirety of Germany. Norbert Schaffer, chairman of the LBV, stated that the people who participated in the survey "chose a species of bird that is extremely endangered throughout Europe and as a result provided it the urgently required attention." The whinchat requires flower strips and meadows that are rich in species. According to Schaffer, on the other hand, the development of agricultural practices is causing these places to become increasingly rare.

Although it can be found nearly everywhere in Germany, the bird is most frequently seen in the east and the north-east. He favors areas that have a lower population density. In the fall, he supplemented his diet with berries, but the majority of his food consisted of worms, spiders, and insects. In total, there would still be between 19,500 and 35,000 breeding pairs across Germany. However, at the time, the Whinchat can be found at its wintering grounds in the sub-Saharan African region. April is when the bird species will depart from there and return.

Whinchats in danger of extinction

The kind of bird enjoys living in wet meadows, fallow ground, and the edges of fields, particularly if there are individual bushes, big shrubs, or fence posts on those types of habitats. There, it makes its home and either sings or hunts for insects. However, the National Association of Biological Units (NABU) reports that such situations are becoming increasingly rare as a result of intensive farming. In addition, over fertilization and the use of toxins posed a threat to the habitat and food of the tiny throat. As a result, the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is included on the list of species that are considered to be endangered or threatened with extinction. There are still 19,500 to 35,000 breeding pairs in Germany, and they are most usually found in the east and north-east. The small songbird spends the winter more than 5,000 kilometers from Germany, south of the Sahara. He will be back in April. The "Bird of the Year" award was presented for the first time in Germany in 1971. Since 2021, he has been selected through a process of democratic election. This year there were around 135,000 persons that participated in the voting process.