Black redstart, crane, black woodpecker, long-eared owl and black stork – these five candidates will be up for election as “Bird of the Year” 2025 starting Tuesday. Citizens can vote for their favorite online until October 10 at 11 a.m. The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and the Bavarian State Association for Bird and Nature Conservation (LBV) plan to announce which bird won the race on the same day.
Since 1971, the two nature conservation associations have chosen the “Bird of the Year” to draw attention to the threat to bird life. Since 2021, the population has been allowed to vote. However, NABU and LBV make a pre-selection. Each candidate stands for an important nature conservation issue. Around 120,000 people took part in the vote last year. The lapwing received the most votes.
Who will be the successor to the Kiebitz?
This time, too, there are five very different candidates: the black redstart is an early bird that not only sings long before sunrise, but also breeds in buildings. According to conservation associations, these birds are finding fewer and fewer nesting opportunities. The crane fascinates many people with its elegant courtship dances. It needs wetlands to rest and breed.
The black woodpecker, easily recognizable by its plumage, is the carpenter of the forest. It represents biodiversity, as many different species such as dormice, bats and stock doves move into its holes as new tenants.
The black stork, on the other hand, avoids cultivated landscapes, unlike the much more common white stork, and often catches its food in rivers. The long-eared owl, with its feathered ears, looks similar to the eagle owl, but is smaller and slimmer. Like all owls, it can fly silently.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240903-930-221368/1
This is a message directly from the dpa news channel.
