FDC of ESTONIA 2014 - 2024 - Bird of the year in Estonia.

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2003 - The magpie (Pica pica), chosen Bird of the Year 2003 by the Estonian Ornithological Society, is one of the commonest birds in Europe. It is also found in Asia, Northwest Africa and the western part of North America. The adult bird is 45-48 cm long. On the ground, the magpie skips on two legs, and its flight is of quick fluttering wing beats interspersed with short glides. It makes a loud chattering noise, and it lowers its long tail as it keenly observes the surroundings. The magpie tends to collect shining objects and hide them near its nest. The magpie is omnivorous, eating both animal and plant material. It feeds on berries, seeds and fruit as well as insects, snails, slugs, small rodents, and scavenges on roadkills. When it gets a chance its eats the eggs and young of birds of many other species.

2004 - The white stork (Ciconia ciconia ) has been breeding in Estonia for more than a hundred years. It is found throughout mainland Estonia and is particularly frequent in the southeast and south parts of the country. In Finland the white stork can only be met as a visitor on the southern coast, as Estonia lies at the northern boundary of its distribution area. The white stork breeds also in Central and Eastern Europe, the Near East and North Africa, but in Western Europe its population has declined from year to year. Being a big and strong bird, it has few enemies, and it is only seldom that an eagle may attack its nest. We cannot actually see the stork carrying a frog in its beak, because adults bring food to its young in the gullet. The stork usually has 2 to 3 young it the family. The storks on the FDC are posing at Kiiu near Tallinn. For the winter Estonian storks travel to South Africa, avoiding the open sea on their migration and return to their breeding places in April. The white stork is a protected species.

2005 - The goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is an average-sized predator with a wingspan of more than one metre. Plumage colour varies form grey in males to brownish in young and female individuals. There are 2 - 4 young in a hatch. The range of the goshawk is Eurasia and North America. Over the past decade its population in Estonia has contracted by nearly a half to just half a thousand couples. The bird builds its nest in mature and old growth coniferous forests that have rapidly dwindled in territory due to logging. The goshawk is superbly suited to this environment, navigating at great speed through the forest understory and canopy in pursuit of songbirds and squirrels. Although the Estonian name of the bird, kanakull, only bears in mind domestic hens as its prey, its menu ranges from black grouse to jays, partridges, squirrels and rabbits. Attacks at domestic fowls become more frequent in the autumn and winter, when food is short in the woods.

2006 - The yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) is a small passerine, whose nearest relatives are the white wagtail, the citrine wagtail and the grey wagtail. The species is distributed in large parts of Eurasia, North Africa and Western Alaska. Sixteen races can be identified through its range, differing from each other by the pattern and colour of the head. Two of the races are found in Estonia. The yellow wagtail breeds in wet grasslands such as watermeadows and open countryside near the sea. Feeding mostly on invertebrates, it is a good assistant to the farmer. The yellow wagtail is a protected species of the 3rd category, being relatively common in Estonia at present, but destruction of its habitats by grasslands overgrowing with brush and reduction of animal breeding could cut down its population to critical.

2007 - The Estonian Ornithological Society has picked the swan as the Bird of the Year 2007. One of the reasons for the choice was to give more information to the public about the three native species of the swan family. The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is known well enough thanks to its breeding habits, being common not just in natural landscapes but also in rural settlements and towns. In addition to breeding, the mute swan can be met in Estonia also while in passage and wintering. The so-called yellow-beaked swans, the whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) and Bewick’s swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) are much less known. At first sight it may seem difficult to tell the Bewick’s swan from its larger relative, the whooper swan. But on closer inspection we find that the bird is somewhat smaller and the yellow of its beak is not as intensive as that of the whooper swan. The Bewick’s swan is the most numerous swan species passing through Estonia, stopping in coastal waters, on large lakes and flooded agricultural lands. The whooper swan can be seen in Estonia both in passage and wintering. The whooper swan rarely breeds in Estonia, being wary of people and preferring out-of-the-way bog pools and small lakes.

2008 - The black grouse (Tetrao Tetrix) is a bird in the grouse family, a long-established gamebird in Estonia. It breeds mainly in the Eurasian forest and forest-steppe area, extending from Western Europe to the Far East. The black grouse is a sedentary species that probably arrived in Estonia when suitable habitats developed in the area after the last ice age. The plumage is clearly different in the cock and the hen: the cock mainly black with a lyre-shaped tail and the hen greyish brown. The species is polygamous with a very distinctive courtship ritual known as lek. The female takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks. In Estonia the black grouse is a protected species of the 3rd category and may not be shot.

2009 - The Estonian Ornithological Society has chosen the tawny owl (Strix aluco) as the bird of the year 2009. The tawny owl, a bird in the order Strigiformes, is an age-old resident of Estonia, although it was relatively rare until the middle of the 19th century. The tawny owl prefers habitats close to humans – cemeteries, parks, broadleaved groves around farms or manor seats etc. The tawny is a nocturnal bird of prey who nests in large hollows and cracks in trees, but sometimes also in suitable holes in buildings. It willingly settles in nest boxes with a large entrance holes. There are from 1,000 to 2,00 nesting pairs of the tawny owl in Estonia at present. The tawny is about the size of a crow; it has large dark eyes and a brownish or grey plumage. The tawny starts nesting early in the year. Some couples lay their eggs already in February, although generally this activity occurs at the beginning or middle of March. The clutch, usually of three to four eggs, is incubated by the female alone in four weeks and it takes about as long for the young to fledge. The tawny’s wide diet includes almost any prey it can catch, mainly small rodents – particularly in rural areas – but birds, frogs, bats and earthworms will do as well. The tawny owl is a species in the third category of protected birds.

2010 - The Estonian Ornithological Society picked has two species of shrikes, the red-back shrike (Lanius collurio) and the great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor), as birds of the year 2010. The birds have a long tail and a strong hooked beak. The male shrike has a typical black eye mask. The red-back shrike is slightly larger than the sparrow while the great grey shrike is about the size of a small thrush. Shrikes can be seen in open and semi-open landscapes. Although shrikes are regarded as passerines they can be heard singing very seldom. Shrikes are carnivorous birds whose catch consists of larger insects, lizards, frogs, small birds and rodents. They hunt from prominent perches and impale corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a “larder”. The red-back shrike is a migratory bird that winters in southern Africa and arrives at our latitude only in the middle of May. In Estonia it is a very common breeding bird whose number in the country has been assessed at 40,000 to 60,000 pairs. The great grey shrike can be seen in Estonia all through the year but it is considerably less numerous than the red-back shrike. About 500-600 great grey shrikes spend the winter here, and only 300-500 pairs of them breed in the country. The great grey shrike and the red-back shrike are in the third category of protected birds.

2011 - The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a passerine with blackish blue upperparts, off-white underparts, rufous forehead, chin and throat and a deeply forked tail, of which 100,000 to 200,000 pairs live in Estonia. It mainly nests in man-made structures, such as stables, attics and under the eaves of buildings, where it builds a nest of mud, clay, stalks and saliva. The Estonian Ornithological Society picked the barn swallow for bird of the year 2011. On the one hand, the Society wanted to mark its round 90th anniversary with the image of the bird in its logo. On the other hand the rapidly changing world and living environment makes us feel concern about the welfare of our national bird. The population of the barn swallow is falling due to the contraction of suitable nesting places and major changes in European agriculture. The long-distance traveller is also influenced by lack of food during the migration, the widening Sahara Desert, climate change and human activity in their wintering area in South Africa. In the barn swallow year information will be given about the life and ecological importance of the species and about how everyone can best contribute to the nesting of the national bird in Estonia.

2012 - The Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) mainly inhabits our natural landscapes on the seashore and sea islands. The population of the Ringed Plover has contracted from at least 8,000 couples to 1,000 or 2,000 during the past 50 years. Perhaps disappearance of suitable places of nestling on the seashore and robbery are some of the reasons why we find the Ringed Plover more and more frequently nestling in the inland. The Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) as a typical inland snipe populates mainly manmade places such as gravel pits, limestone quarries etc. Although the global contraction in the population of the species is connected with climate change, the link between the intensiveness of human activity and the population of the Little Ringed Plover is clearly positive. On the basis of recent population assessments there are 1,000 to 2,000 pairs of Little Ringed Plovers nestling in Estonia.

2013 - The Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) is a small bird of the pheasant family who mainly lives in farmland – in fields as well in pasturelands. It passes the winter in groups, often in the vicinity of human settlements. The winter groups split up in April when coupling takes place. In the nesting period, in May to June, they lead a very covert way of life. The nest usually has from 15 to 20 eggs, and the young fledge at ten days old. It is a species of dwindling numbers that are most affected by predation and by the use of pesticides in farming. There are presumably about 4,000 to 8,000 couples of the grey partridge in Estonia at present.

2014 - Due to its extraordinary colours the Common Kingfisher, (Alcedo atthis), is called the Nordic jewel and the pearl of rivers. Both the kingfisher’s plumage, as well as the shape of its body, are unique. It nests on the banks of rivers, brooks and bigger ditches lined with trees and rivers, the banks of which offer opportunities for digging its nest. The kingfisher particularly likes shallow rivers with pure water. It mainly feeds on small fish. We can expect to see the kingfisher round the year, but only a few remain here for the winter. The Estonian Ornithological Society picks the bird of the year since 1995. More information about the Common Kingfisher can be found in the internet, where it has numerous sites.

2015 - There are two types of buzzards in Estonia. Our most numerous hawk, the common buzzard, can often been seen loudly circling in the sky or sitting on posts watching next to the road, stalking for mice. Although most of the common buzzards leave in the autumn, some of them stay also in the winter. The rough-legged hawk, a species closely related to the buzzards, is quite similar to the common buzzard but it can be met only wintering or in passing. The European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) has a special diet among hawks – it looks for wasp and bumble-bee nests and eats the maggots of these insects. Because of this it arrives here in late spring and leaves already at the end of summer. The Estonian Ornithological Society picks the Bird of the Year since 1995.

2016 - The great tit is known to everyone by its black longitudinal strip as well as the black head and a big white cheek blot. In Estonia it is a usual brooding bird who lives in various woodlands forests, parks, gardens. It builds its nest usually in tree hollows or nest boxes. If in summer the main food are insects and their larvae, then in winter it eats various seeds. In winter the great tit is a guest in various feeding houses - sunflower seeds and fat taste particularly well to it. The Estonian Ornithology Society elects the bird of the year since 1995. It is possible to read closer about the great tit from the site of the bird: www.eoy.ee/rasvatihane.

2017 - The Estonian Ornithological Society has chosen turtledove the bird of the year 2017. There are two representatives of the genus: turtle dove and ruff turtle dove. We have to do with some of the least studied types of birds in Estonia. The turtle dove is the smallest European dove. Its head is greyish, its throat pink, the wings orange with black spots, the lower part of the abdomen white. The vital feature is a black and white striped spot on the neck. The places where it usually lives are sparse broadleaved forests. The turtle dove's utterance is a low and monotonous gurgling that sounds like the purring of a cat. The ruff turtle dove is the size of the thrush, with a slender body and long tail. The main tone of its plumage is creamy beige with one black spot on the neck. The ruff turtle dove lives in human settlements or close to them. Its song is a quiet "guguu-kuk" which somewhat sounds like the cuckoo.

2018 - The capercaillie is a native species and one of the natural symbols of Estonia. It is one of the first bird species to arrive here after the last ice age, and has stayed here as least as long as man has. Female and male capercaillie differ both in size and colour. The male bird has black feathering and a fan-shaped tail, the female has undistinguished brown-coloured feathering. The capercaillie does not form mating couples. Their behaviour is characterised by bridal feasts lasting from end of winter to mid-spring and this is one of the most interesting shows to witness in the nature of Estonia. At the beginning of May, the female birds go a few kilometres away from the feast grounds to lay eggs. The bridal feast grounds are usually located in pine groves over 100 years of age.

In Estonia, the capercaillie is a locally distributed rare hatcher who reportedly does not inhabit the islands of western Estonia. In 2017, the population of capercaillie is estimated to be 1300-1600 cocks. As a species with declining population, the capercaillie is in the II conservation category of the conserved species of Estonia and in the least concern category of the red list of threatened species.

2019 - The European nightjar is the size of a blackbird, with brown, grey and black patterned plumage and long wings and long tail. It is infrequently sighted in nature. It nests in sparser heath and bog pine forests, other dry mixed forests where pine makes up the predominant species, and sometimes in clearcuts and young stands of trees. It avoids human settlements, however. By day, the bird, which has ideal natural camouflage, rests on the ground or perches imperceptibly on a tree branch. When night falls, it flies soundlessly, using its ability to open its mouth wide to catch insects – specifically, moths and beetles.