Birds in the Botanical Garden Dresden

An exhibition by Sophie Hasert

There are more than 10,000 bird species worldwide. At least 260 of them breed in Germany. In addition, numerous species stop over in our country as migrants from the north. But populations are dwindling: In 2015, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation declared every third bird species in the country to be threatened. The Red List of Breeding Birds in Germany already lists three-quarters of all open land species as endangered, including the eurasian skylark. Numbers of partridge and northern lapwing have declined by nearly 90% since 1992.

Over the course of the year, more than 45 bird species find an inner-city retreat, food or even nesting sites in the Botanic Garden. The diversity ranges from classic songbirds to ducks and birds of prey to stray rarities such as the little bittern and white stork or winter visitors such as the bohemian waxwing and brambling.

The exhibit panels were developed in 2018 by Sophie Hasert as part of her volunteer ecological year at the Botanical Garden. Special thanks go to Jana Grunwald, who has been photographing the bird diversity in the garden for years and provided valuable information on the species sighted here.

English translation of the information panel in the Botanical Garden. Original German text: Dr. Barbara Ditsch