UK Bird Survey Shows Greenfinch and Starling Declines

New data from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' annual Big Garden Birdwatch has revealed steep long-term declines in the populations of greenfinches and starlings across the UK, prompting the charity to issue updated guidelines for safely feeding garden birds to curb disease transmission.

The survey, conducted over the last weekend in January, drew more than 650,000 participants who spent an hour observing and recording birds in their gardens or local green spaces. They tallied over nine million birds from more than 80 species, providing conservationists with a key snapshot of garden wildlife trends. House sparrows topped the list for the 15th consecutive year in many regions, with an average of 3.57 birds per garden, followed by blue tits at 3.21. Starlings ranked third with 2.23, ahead of woodpigeons and blackbirds. In Scotland, house sparrows led, followed by starlings and blue tits, while in Wales, house sparrows, blue tits and starlings held the top three spots.

Greenfinches, which placed 18th overall, showed a modest 2.3 percent increase in average sightings this year but remain two-thirds below 1979 levels, marking a 67 percent decline since the survey began....