Birds: Vital signals of a healthy environment
Birds are more than just beautiful wildlife. They are key indicators of ecosystem health. They pollinate plants, disperse seeds, control pests, and contribute to nutrient cycling. Across Europe, birds help keep farmland and forests productive and balanced, supporting biodiversity and human livelihoods.
Europe is home to over 500 breeding bird species, from tiny warblers to large raptors. This diversity ensures that ecosystems function efficiently year-round, as different species occupy different habitats, feed on different foods, and respond differently to seasonal changes.
A declining chorus
Many bird populations are in sharp decline. Farmland birds, such as skylarks and corn buntings, have fallen by around 55 percent since the 1980s in the EU, while populations of insect-eating birds have dropped in parallel with declines in insects. Urban and forest birds are also affected, though patterns vary by region. These trends signal that ecosystems are under serious stress.
Why birds are disappearing
Birds face multiple pressures: Habitat loss, reduced food availability, climate change, which alters migration patterns and breeding success and pollution, including from pesticides.
Many birds feed on insects, and pesticides reduce the abundance of these essential food sources, making it harder for birds to survive and reproduce. This is particularly evident in farmland landscapes, where widespread use of insecticides has been linked to declines in insect-eating species such as skylarks, barn swallows, and tits.
In addition to reducing food, some pesticides can directly harm birds. Birds may ingest contaminated seeds, insects, or water, which can lead to poisoning or sub-lethal effects that reduce reproductive success, impair growth, or weaken immune systems. Even exposure to low doses of certain chemicals can disrupt essential biological functions.
Birds are often exposed to mixtures of pesticides across landscapes, which can magnify these effects. Combined with other pressures, such as habitat loss, climate change, and disease, pesticide exposure contributes significantly to population declines.
Because pesticide use is directly controllable, reducing it is one of the most efficient and immediate levers to halt the arthropod population collapse. Unlike climate change or habitat loss, which are complex and multi-layered challenges, pesticide reduction is a tangible, actionable means available to the EU and its Member States. It comes down to the chemicals we authorise, how we regulate them, and the farming practices we promote. Tackling pesticides is an urgent step to halt the decline of bird populations and for reversing broader biodiversity decline.
Why this matters to you
The decline of birds affects people as well as nature:
Food production – Birds naturally control crop pests, reducing the need for chemical interventions
Healthy ecosystems – Birds help maintain forests, grasslands, and wetlands, which provide clean water, fertile soil, and climate regulation
Cultural and economic value – Birdwatching and ecotourism contribute billions of euros to Europe’s economy every year
Biodiversity signals – Falling bird populations warn us that broader ecosystem health is deteriorating.
Protecting birds means protecting the balance of our landscapes, the productivity of our farmlands, and the resilience of the ecosystems we rely on.