First migratory birds back in Switzerland

The first migratory birds are back in Switzerland Keystone-SDA

The bird migration has started: the first migratory birds have returned to their breeding grounds in Switzerland after spending the winter in the south.

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An increase in sightings of starlings and song thrushes is currently being recorded on the “ornitho.ch” observation platform, the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach, canton Lucerne, confirmed to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.

Although individual starlings spend the winter in Switzerland, the majority of individuals of this bird species spend the winter in southern Europe. Song thrushes are also considered to be short-distance migrants that spend the winter in the Mediterranean region.

+ More than 35,000 migratory birds spotted in Switzerland

In addition to the increased sightings of some short-distance migrants, the bird migration radar of the Swiss Ornithological Institute has also detected an increase in bird movements in recent nights. As around two-thirds of migratory birds migrate at night, an increase in nocturnal bird movements indicates the start of migration.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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