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Goldfinches are one of a handful of bird species experiencing declines across the country.
photo: Landscaping / Tom Marshall
New Zealanders are being urged to keep an eye out for feathered friends this weekend as this year’s New Zealand Garden Bird Survey Get started.
Every year since 2007, birdwatchers have sat down and spent an hour recording the types and numbers of birds they see in their backyards.
The data helps researchers spot trends in bird populations.
“Higher participation is particularly useful for detecting differences between regional and national trends,” Manaaki Whenua / Landcare Research senior researcher Dr Angela Brandt said.
“This year is particularly important because we noticed that over a five-year period, the house sparrow, goldfinch and chaffinch populations were actually declining from moderate to rapid declines.
“Adding another year of data will help us understand if this trend continues or if 2023 was an outlier year for bird populations.”
This outstanding photo of a song thrush by Amy Boyce has been selected as the winner of the 2023 New Zealand Garden Birds Photo Competition and features on the cover of the State of New Zealand Garden Birds
photo: Landscaping/Amy Boyce
If you need help differentiating between a house sparrow and a kererū, visit the survey website Comes with a handy identification guide – Contains recordings of images and sounds of each species.
“If there’s a significant change in bird abundance, that suggests something is either working, like predator control, or maybe something is wrong,” Brandt said.
“Predator populations may increase, or changes in temperature may lead to a decrease in food and shelter.”
Data collected by New Zealand also contributes to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Promotional image for the Garden Bird Survey.
photo: Land Care Research/Provision
access New Zealand Garden Bird Survey website Learn more about how to participate.
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