Starlings fall to record low in UK’s 2025 Big Garden Birdwatch

RSPB urges people to support threatened birds by cutting lawns less frequently and avoiding pesticides

Fewer starlings than ever have been spotted by participants in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, raising fears for their numbers.

The bird conservation charity is urging Britain’s gardeners to keep their lawns wild by not cutting them too often, and to avoid the use of pesticides, which reduce the number of insects to eat and can poison birds.