The waterfowl wintering in Bulgaria will be counted from January 15 to 18 as part of the 50th Midwinter Waterfowl Census campaign, the Executive Environment Agency said on Saturday. Bulgaria will thus join the annual international efforts to collect crucial data for population monitoring, habitat assessment, and conservation of these migratory birds.
Over 320 wetlands across the country will be covered, including the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, rivers, reservoirs, lakes, marshes, fishponds, etc., where waterfowl spend the winter. The data will be collected by teams of the Executive Environment Agency, partner civil and scientific organizations, and volunteers. It will be entered into the Information System of the National Biodiversity Monitoring System and will also be reported to Wetlands International, the international organization for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. The data helps track trends in the number of wintering waterbirds in the country – an indicator of the state of biodiversity and wetlands in Bulgaria.
Last year’s census showed a drop in waterfowl numbers in the country. Ninety species with a total of 249,958 individuals were recorded in 2025, compared to 97 species with a total of 280,956 individuals in 2024. Still, the numbers were higher than the 2023 data (88 species with a total of 206,239 individuals) and 2022 (90 species with a total of 206,688 individuals). In comparison, in 1999 and 2000, 404,410 and 652,418 wintering waterbirds were observed, respectively.
A waterfowl census was first held in 1967, one of the oldest scientific initiatives in the world. It brings together the efforts of scientists and citizens to monitor the status of birds and their habitats. Bulgaria joined the initiative for the first time back in 1977, the Executive Environment Agency recalls.
/DS/