Voting for the Bird of Belarus 2027 has started
The Scientific and Practical Center for Bioresources of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the information resource "Smartpress," and the company "Wild Nature" have launched the selection of the Belarusian Bird of 2027. Ornithologists and nature enthusiasts proposed candidates, and four birds made it to the final, writes the Telegram channel "Wild Nature Nearby."
In the photo, from left to right and top to bottom: Great Cormorant, Common Tern, Teal, and European Bee-eater
The four birds that made it to the final this year are:
Great Cormorant — a migratory fish-eating species that nests in trees or on the ground near bodies of water. There is a need to change the harsh and negative attitude of Belarusians towards these birds, to spread humane methods of population regulation and approaches to reduce losses from them.
Teal — a migratory duck that winters in Africa. Its population is declining globally. In our country, both spring and autumn hunting are permitted for these birds. It would be good to prohibit spring hunting of males.
Common Tern — over 33 years, its population in Europe has fallen by 76%. Almost every year, tern colonies are destroyed during urban expansion. This tern is an umbrella species: under its protection, other small terns, coots, ducks, and waders nest. Terns especially suffer from American minks, which destroy their eggs and chicks. Therefore, terns increasingly choose city roofs for nesting.
European Bee-eater — a Red Data Book insectivorous bird that nests in burrows. Its population is small, but with climate warming, the species is moving north. Its burrows in active quarries need to be protected by placing them under special care and organizing monitoring during nesting.
You can cast your vote for one of the candidates until August 23 inclusive on the following platforms of the campaign organizers:
- Telegram channel "Wild Nature Nearby"
- Telegram channel "SPC for Bioresources"
Votes from all platforms will be summed up.
Presentations of the candidates are available here.
The Black Stork was chosen as the Bird of the Year of Belarus for 2026 based on the results of a similar vote.