The winner of the “Bird of the Year” vote among t-online readers has already been decided. One candidate leads the survey with a clear majority.
Who will win the election for “Bird of the Year 2025” will not be known until October 10th. For t-online readers, however, the winner is already clear.
A total of 4,882 participants voted (as of October 7, 2024). You could choose between
With 44.8 percent – and therefore a clear majority – the black redstart comes in by far in first place. The long-eared owl takes second place with 26.2 percent of the votes. 10.8 percent of the t-online readers surveyed were in favor of the black woodpecker receiving the award. Closely followed by the black stork with 10.5 percent of the votes. The crane takes fifth place. Only 5.8 percent of t-online readers voted for him.
About 70 minutes before sunrise, the black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) welcomes the day with its loud song. Until a few years ago it was unknown, especially to city dwellers. The bird, which is just 13 to 15 centimeters tall, lived mainly in the mountains. It is now increasingly staying in human settlements, although it still prefers open areas with little vegetation, according to the German Nature Conservation Association (Nabu).
In autumn the migratory bird heads south. Because he prefers to spend the winter in North Africa or the Middle East.
The black redstart is currently not considered endangered. “However, house renovations cause their breeding niches to disappear,” warns Nabu. If you want to do something good for the animal, you should leave small openings and niches in the building or crevices in the stone walls. Because the bird can build its nest here.
In addition to spiders, the black redstart's diet, which is considered a good luck charm in some regions, also includes insects and their larvae and berries.
Finally, we have a little extra fact about the bird for you: It constantly bends its legs and vibrates its red tail. The Swiss therefore affectionately call it “wobbly ass”.
