The bird of the year moves into its showcase

8 June 2021

Photo: UHH/CeNak, Wenzel

The robin has taken its throne at the Zoological Museum. In a nationwide vote, it was named Bird of the Year, succeeding last year's turtle dove. In the museum, we are now dedicating a separate showcase to Germany's feathered darling, which is intended to draw attention to the life of the trusting garden bird.

Originally native to forests from North Africa to Western Siberia, robins are now also increasingly found in villages and cities throughout Europe. The slightly melancholy song of the animals can be heard even in the depths of winter and when the sun has already set. They prefer to roost in dense scrub and rich undergrowth, where they build their nests and search for food.

With three to four million breeding pairs in Germany, the robin is not one of the endangered bird species. Nevertheless, food is becoming scarcer for the animals, for example due to steadily shrinking populations of insects. Despite (still) stable robin populations, we are drawing attention to the generally declining bird populations worldwide with the display case in the Zoological Museum and NABU with the election as Bird of the Year. The specimen on display comes from the ornithological collection of the Zoological Museum at CeNak.