The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Results 2025 - RSPB
Starlings drop out of UK’s top three garden birds as the lowest number ever is recorded
- Starlings have fallen from number three to four in the latest Big Garden Birdwatch results as their lowest number ever was recorded.
- Almost six hundred thousand people across the UK took part this year, counting more than nine million birds.
- The Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey and the results highlight how our much-loved garden birds are faring and what you can do to help.
The results from this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch have revealed the Starling has dropped from third to fourth place as the lowest number ever was recorded. House Sparrow held onto top spot once again and Blue Tit remains at number two, with Woodpigeon and Blackbird making up the other top five most recorded species in UK gardens.
Almost 600,000 people took part in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey, counting more than nine million birds of over 80 species during this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch – an amazing achievement. The survey provides a valuable snapshot of how our most common garden birds are faring and taking part is one important way to help birds and nature.
Starlings are medium-sized birds with glossy plumage that has a purple and green sheen, often with white spots during winter. They are also excellent mimics and can make a huge variety of tweets, cheeps and clicks. They can be found across the UK with their numbers swelling during winter when birds arrive from northern Europe, gathering together to perform spectacular murmurations.
Despite these displays sometimes reaching hundreds of thousands of individuals, Starlings are a red listed species in the UK and considered a high conservation concern due to their declining numbers. Although there is not currently enough evidence to confirm what is causing these decreases, the UK breeding population declined by 82% between 1970 and 2022. Prior to 2000, the Starling was regularly the most numerous species recorded in the Big Garden Birdwatch.
To find out the full Big Garden Birdwatch results, more about joining the RSPB, and all the ways you can help garden birds and other wildlife, visit: https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch