To date, 36 species have been chosen as Bird of the Year to draw attention to their population declines or threats to their conservation. SEO/BirdLife is launching for another year this communication and conservation campaign that it has been running since 1988. With this … action, the organization focuses on a species that requires special attention due to its poor state of conservation or because it symbolizes the urgency of protecting the habitats that host it, to demand from administrations and institutions measures for the conservation of everyone’s natural heritage.
For 2026, the candidates are the common lark, the cormorant and the European goldfinch, and as in previous editions, the organization is launching a voting process open to the public to choose next year’s protagonist species.
The three species candidates for the title of Bird of the Year 2026 are birds which are experiencing a decline in their populations due to various threats linked to their habitats.
common lark
The common lark (Alauda arvensis) is a species typical of wastelands, crops and mountain meadows. Very easy to identify by its characteristic crest and song. It is a species more common in the northern half of the peninsula which is classified as vulnerable according to the Red Book of Birds of Spain 2021. Its population presents, nationally, a decline of almost 20% between 2014 and 2023, according to the SACRE program, but the decline comes from afar.
(around 38% less between 2002 and 2023) and as its threats have not disappeared, this development is not expected to improve.
According to the European Red List of Birds 2021, it is estimated that there are around one hundred million larks on the European continent with a decreasing trend. And although, according to the III Atlas of Birds during the breeding season in Spain, more than two million birds breed in Spain, their situation is unfavorable.
Among its threats are agricultural intensification, reforestation of marginal lands, clearing of wastelands or pastures and the transformation of its habitat into irrigation.
This species is well representative of the problems experienced by agricultural environments and a good indicator of the health of these ecosystems. Thanks to this species, society will be able to understand that intensive agriculture generates an alarming loss of biodiversity and politicians will be able to raise awareness to support a fairer and more sustainable Community Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Kiss
The shag (Gulosus aristotelis) is a seabird found on coastal cliffs, both on the Cantabrian-Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.
Listed as a vulnerable species in the Red Book of Birds of Spain 2021 and in the National Catalog of Threatened Species, it is one of the seabirds that has experienced the greatest decline in Spain in recent years, especially the Atlantic population, which suffered a sharp decline after the Prestige accident. Currently, the most important cause reducing the chances of recovery is accidental mortality caused by fishing gear, mainly gillnets. Added to this are other threats such as pollution or predation by mammals introduced into the colonies, inconvenience due to the increase in pleasure boat traffic or the high frequency of the coastline in breeding areas, among others.
There are two subspecies in Spain. The nominate subspecies is distributed throughout the Cantabrian Sea and Galicia, with most of the breeding population concentrated in the Cíes and Ons islands, while the Mediterranean is concentrated mainly in the Balearic Islands, with smaller breeding populations distributed along the coast of eastern Iberia and Catalonia. Currently, a population of 2,670 to 3,300 pairs is estimated. Among them, nearly 1,800 would correspond to the Mediterranean subspecies and the rest to the nominal subspecies.
This representative species of seabirds, the most threatened group of avifauna in the world, would focus on the need to conserve coastal habitats, as well as ensure conservation measures for the marine environment.
European goldfinch
The unmissable and popular goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is one of the most common and widespread species in the territory, particularly in the south and in parts of the eastern peninsula. It is a very gregarious bird, especially in winter, where it also receives thousands of European winter visitors. The goldfinch usually gathers in mixed groups with other finches that wander around in search of food.
Listed as a species of least concern in the Red Book of Birds of Spain, the goldfinch does not in principle present serious conservation problems. However, data from the SACRE program point to a moderate decline in their populations, in a context of gradual transformation of traditional agricultural landscapes.
The species is closely linked to diversified agricultural environments, with the presence of margins, boundaries, fallows and spontaneous vegetation, such as thistles, which give it its scientific name, which provide it with food and shelter. The simplification of the agricultural landscape, the elimination of these structures and the reduction of weed flora associated with crops represent a loss of key resources for the goldfinch and many other common species. Additionally, although strictly regulated, illegal captures of this and other finches for keeping in captivity or consumption continue to occur.
The European goldfinch thus represents a large group of birds linked to agriculture and highlights the importance of conservation and recovery of biodiversity in agricultural systems, as a basis for evolving towards more balanced and sustainable agricultural models.
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