Thousands of people take part in EuroBirdwatch 2026
EuroBirdwatch 2026 brought 23,000 people into the field across Europe and Central Asia, recording mass movements alongside a striking spread of scarce migrants.
More than 23,000 people joined EuroBirdwatch over 3-4 October, recording 4.8 million birds at 927 events across Europe and Central Asia. BirdLife International says 28 national partners contributed to the weekend, with BirdLife Slovakia compiling and analysing the results.
The figures provide a broad snapshot of migration at a moment when geese, raptors and passerines were moving across several major flyways. They also show the scale at which organised birdwatching can engage people, from local family events to established migration watchpoints.
Finland produced the largest national total, with 1.6 million birds reported. Sweden followed with 742,877 and Hungary with 628,635. Hungary hosted 176 events and recorded 3,807 participants, while the Netherlands held 150 events and Switzerland attracted 3,414 people.
Barnacle Goose was the most numerous species in the combined return, with 750,000 counted. Common Starling followed on 515,000 and Chaffinch on 428,000, reflecting both genuine migration intensity and the locations where participating observers were concentrated.
More than 23,000 birdwatchers spotted 4.8 million birds on their autumn migration routes.
BirdLife International
Raptor passage was particularly visible in Turkey, where observers reported 1,128 Lesser Spotted Eagles. Greece contributed more than 73 Lesser White-fronted Geese as well as Egyptian Vultures, while Italian participants reported Bonelli's Eagle and Marbled Duck.
Scarce passerines illustrated the breadth of the movement. Red-throated, Richard's and Olive-backed Pipits were found across Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Yellow-browed Warblers appeared in Denmark, Switzerland and Malta, and Scandinavian lists included Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and Black-faced Bunting.
Farther south-east, Iraq contributed Iraq Babbler, See-see Partridge, Grey-headed Swamphen and Dalmatian Pelican. Seawatching events added European Storm-petrels and Scopoli's Shearwaters, while Dutch observers recorded King Eider and Little Bunting.
The combined total should not be treated as a formal estimate of Europe's migrating bird population. Events differed in duration, observer numbers, habitat, weather and counting method, and the same moving flock could potentially be recorded at more than one site.
Nor are country totals a league table of bird abundance. Finland's position reflects its geography and the movements occurring that weekend, while the number and placement of events strongly affect what is detected. Weather can also concentrate passage or keep birds grounded beyond the hours covered by an event. The data are most useful as engagement results and descriptive records of a specific weekend.
EuroBirdwatch nevertheless connects local observations along routes that cross national borders. Repeating the event each autumn creates a public record of changing migration conditions, even though differences in coverage prevent simple year-to-year population comparisons. Its 2026 results capture both the spectacle of mass migration and the conservation value of keeping watch over the places birds use to rest, feed and pass through.
10 Oct 2026
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