The Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 results are in! - RSPB

We reveal the Birdwatch 2026 results and discuss new guidance for feeding our garden birds.

The Big Garden Birdwatch: who came top?

The results from this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch show that, once again, the House Sparrow takes the top spot, while Blue Tits remain at number two. Elsewhere, Starlings crept up one place to number three, with Woodpigeons and Blackbirds making up the top five most recorded species in UK gardens.

This year, 650,279 people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, maintaining the event’s title as the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Together, well over half a million bird-lovers throughout the UK counted more than nine million birds and over 80 different species – an amazing achievement. Thank you!

Lots of birdwatchers, fewer birds

Since it began in 1979, the Big Garden Birdwatch has given us a valuable, annual snapshot of how our most common garden birds are faring. Sadly, over that time, the Birdwatch has tracked the decline of many species, something revealed as we look further down this year’s rankings.

In 18th spot on the list is the Greenfinch. And this decline is borne out by other surveys which have seen Greenfinches decline by over 65% in the last three decades. It’s estimated that this amounts to a loss of over two million individual birds. As a result of these declines, Greenfinches are now on the UK Red List.

There is strong evidence that the cause of these losses is a disease called trichomonosis, which spreads more easily when birds gather around feeders, particularly in summer and autumn.