Common bird index

Farmland bird species fluctuated in the period 2007-2012, followed by a significant decline between 2012 and 2014. Afterwards, the index remained more or less stable until 2021. In 2022, the index dropped significantly again, a decline that did not recover in 2023. The decline of farmland species in the Flemish Region has been ongoing for decades and is part of a much wider, European trend.

The number of forest birds remained more or less stable from 2007 to 2015. Afterwards, a steady decline followed until 2023. Since 2020, the number of forest birds has been significantly lower than in the period up to 2015.

The number of breeding birds of various habitats (all common birds) was clearly higher in the period from 2008 to 2015 than in 2007. Afterwards, the index dropped back a bit and the trend is fluctuating.