The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) announces the start of the jubilee tenth edition of the campaign “We Count Sparrows” on the occasion of World Sparrow Day.
The count will take place on April 18, and everyone can participate, spending 10 minutes between 9:00 and 12:00 to count the sparrows in their yard, park or from the balcony. The data is entered in an online platform on the birds.bg website.
Within the framework of the campaign, events are organized in Sofia for children and adults, introducing them to the species of sparrows and their importance. Workshops and games are planned in the Zoo, Muzeiko and the Regional Center for Contemporary Arts “Toplocentrala”.
The main goal is to draw attention to the connection between birds and the environment. The BSPB emphasizes that sparrows are an indicator of the state of the urban environment. The decline of sparrows is related to overdevelopment, lack of green spaces and pollution.
The participation of citizens is key to gathering information about the condition of the house, field and Spanish sparrow.
According to a 2025 study, the population of the house sparrow has decreased by about 50% since 2005.
In Bulgaria, a total of five species of sparrows are found, with the house sparrow being the most common in the urban environment.
World Sparrow Day has been celebrated since 2010. The aim is to draw attention to declining populations.
The campaign “We Count Sparrows” is part of the project “Together for Nature” with the support of the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Program.
Last year, the count was on May 3. The BSPB aims to establish the numbers, habitats and predominant species of sparrows.