The birds in Spain are facing an unprecedented reproductive crisis: they are having fewer offspring each time.
According to the latest report from SEO/Birdlife, only 30% of the birds recorded in 2024 are juveniles.
This reflects a failed breeding season and anticipates an increasingly complicated scenario for the country’s avian fauna.
According to experts, the deterioration of ecosystems and climate change are behind this alarming trend.
“When this rate remains below adequate levels, populations can experience significant declines,” warn the organization’s technicians.
More than half of the bird species in Spain are at risk
The report ‘The state of birds in Spain‘ reveals that 53.6% of the species are threatened or could be soon.
The situation is complicated by multiple factors that simultaneously affect the populations.
Firstly, the forest fires of 2024 ravaged about 400,000 hectares in the country.
Of these, 157,000 hectares corresponded to 83 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), directly affecting already vulnerable species.
Despite this, recently the percentage of species in grave danger decreased from 18.9% to 13.8%.
This is a positive fact attributed to the success of specific conservation programs.
The imperial eagle, for example, went from being ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’.
Birds of Spain: the winners and losers of environmental change
Rural abandonment has led to an increase in forest mass that benefits forest birds.
The blue chaffinch of Gran Canaria, which inhabits pine forests, also improved its threat category thanks to these conservation efforts.
However, farmland birds have shown a 40% decline since 1998.
The intensification of agriculture and the use of pesticides are devastating their populations in steppes and cultivated fields.
Wetland birds are not escaping the crisis either.
The greylag goose, although increasing in Europe, is not recovering in Spain because the migratory specimens are settling in central European coastal wetlands.
The impact of hunting and genetic pollution on birds in Spain
The red partridge, a native and vulnerable species, suffers a strong population decline due to hunting activities.
Moreover, the annual massive release of millions of farm specimens, many hybrids with other species, threatens its genetic integrity and could lead it “to possible extinction”.
The common quail faces a similar situation. The release of hybrids with the Japanese quail, classified as an “invasive exotic”, damages local genetic diversity and compromises its adaptive capacity.
Other birds in trouble in Spain are the nocturnal ones, which are also in trouble: of 10 species analyzed in the Noctua program, five show a moderate decline.
In particular, owls show a very strong decline, with light pollution as one of the main factors.
Success stories and emblematic species
The red kite recorded a spectacular 30% increase in breeding pairs compared to the census a decade ago.
This bird of prey, visible flying over roads, benefits from its dietary adaptability.
The great cormorant is also increasing its populations, especially in Extremadura.
In contrast, the shag has not yet recovered from the Prestige disaster of 2002 in Galicia and suffers severe impacts from fishing gear.
Urban birds show positive trends. They have managed to adapt to these new ecological niches, and their populations are increasing, contrasting with the general decline of other species.
High mountain birds face an uncertain future. Climate change is causing the retreat of their cold habitats, confining them to increasingly smaller and isolated areas.
The study, which includes censuses, monitoring programs, and techniques like banding, was made possible thanks to citizen participation.
Last year, over 37 million bird records were surpassed in Spain through platforms like eBird, positioning the country among the world leaders in birdwatching.
