Bird of the Year: these are the stars of 2025
These are the stars of 2025: Voting for Bird of the Year is not common in all countries internationally. For example, this campaign, which aims to raise public awareness of endangered bird species, does not exist in England. But it does in some other golfing nations. Here, golf courses are often an important habitat for rare species.
Germany – Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
The black redstart is a slender songbird from the flycatcher family. Originally an inhabitant of rocky mountain landscapes, it has adapted excellently to the settlement areas created by humans. It finds substitutes for its natural breeding sites, especially in cities, on roofs and facades. The male can be easily recognized by its dark plumage and striking red tail, while the female is a more inconspicuous grey-brown. The black redstart feeds on insects, spiders and small berries. However, due to the increasing sealing of surfaces and the decrease in suitable nesting opportunities, the black redstart is coming under increasing pressure, which is why it can now be found around golf courses. Here, it finds significantly more food.
Austria – Teal(Anas crecca)
The teal is one of the smallest duck species in Europe and belongs to the family of swimming ducks. It is characterized by its compact body shape and lively patterning. The male is particularly striking with its chestnut-brown head pattern and green eye stripe. The teal prefers shallow, calm waters with dense shoreline vegetation where it can find shelter and food. Its main diet consists of aquatic plants, seeds and small invertebrates. It also finds all of this on Austria’s golf courses. The teal was chosen as Bird of the Year to highlight the importance of intact wetlands, which many golf courses can boast.
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Switzerland – European robin (Erithacus rubecula)
The robin is one of the best-known and most popular songbirds in Europe, and is by no means rare on golf courses. Its bright orange-red breast and melodic song make it one of the most conspicuous garden birds. It is curious and not very shy, which makes it a frequent guest in gardens and parks. Robins are ground breeders and prefer dense vegetation as a nesting site. They feed mainly on insects, worms and berries. In summer, they breed in woods and hedges that they find along the fairways. This is another reason why hedge structures play an essential role as habitats on golf courses.
Spain – Wallcreeper(Tichodroma muraria)
The wallcreeper is a rare and fascinating bird that occurs mainly in the rocky high mountain regions of Europe. Its distinctive plumage with black, white and scarlet wings makes it unmistakable. The wallcreeper is perfectly adapted to life in rocky landscapes and moves skillfully along steep rock faces, using its long, curved beak to retrieve insects and spiders from crevices. In Spain, it lives mainly in the Pyrenees and other mountain ranges. In winter, it can occasionally be seen at lower altitudes. Encounters with wallcreepers on golf courses are a fairly rare stroke of luck.
USA and Canada –Common loon(Gavia immer)
The common loon is an impressive water bird with elegant black and white plumage and red eyes. An excellent diver, it hunts fish in clear, deep waters. However, the common loon is increasingly under threat: pollution, boat traffic and climate change are putting it under pressure. Particularly problematic is the increase in mercury in the waters, which accumulates in the fish and affects the health of the birds. In the USA and Canada, the common loon was named Bird of the Year to highlight the need to protect clean waters and undisturbed breeding grounds.
Image: Canva/Petra Himmel