The Dutch radio program Vroege Vogels ("Early Birds") surveyed about 5000 people to find the favorite bird song in the Netherlands. The Blackbird came out on top, beating #2 Nightingale (Nachtegaal), #3 Song Thrush (Zanglijster), and 97 other Dutch birds. The entire list, including a photo of each bird and a sample of its song, can be found here: Dutch Bird Top 100. It's a neat way to see some of the most common birds of the Netherlands and hear what they sound like! We've got quite a few European birds here at Birdorable, including several of the Dutch favorites. Here are a few of them. The Dutch names are listed below.

#1 Merel (Blackbird) #4 Roodborst (Robin) #5 Winterkoning (Winter Wren) #10 Putter (European Goldfinch) #15 Vink (Chaffinch) #21 Kievit (Northern Lapwing) #26 Pimpelmees (Blue Tit) #56 IJsvogel (Common Kingfisher)

Back in June we introduced the Birdorable Tree Sparrow. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is a small passerine bird related the the House Sparrow. Tree Sparrows live across much of Europe and Asia, although numbers are declining in some parts of western Europe.

Tree Sparrows are unfortunately on the decline in the United Kingdom - up to 50% in some areas. Research is being done to determine the cause of the decline as well as track current successful sparrow habitat and breeding grounds. Sightings of Tree Sparrows can be submitted to researchers online at TreeSparrows.com. The website's newsletter provides updated information on the research project and national sightings. Swag to show your support is also available.