Blackcap named Czech Bird of the Year 2026
The Czech Society for Ornithology has named the Eurasian blackcap (pěnice černohlavá) as the Bird of the Year for 2026. The small songbird, known for its beautiful voice, is still very common in Czechia, but in the Mediterranean it faces extensive hunting. Radio Prague discussed the species with ornithologist Petr Voříšek.
The blackcap was chosen this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the Czech Society for Ornithology. And in fact, this bird features in the Society’s logo. Why is that?
"Well, I cannot really say why the founders of the Czech Society for Ornithology selected the blackcap. Perhaps at that time it was still a relatively common species, but also a very nice bird with a pleasant song.
"They also chose the species as the logo bird for the scientific journal Sylvia, which began publication in the 1930s and has been published ever since. Sylvia is the Latin name of the genus the blackcap belongs to, so there is a clear connection with the name of the journal."
So what makes a blackcap so special? How would you describe it to listeners who may not know what it looks like?
"Perhaps the most important thing is that it really does have a black cap. It is a bird roughly the size of a small sparrow. Otherwise, it is mostly grey, but the male has a black cap.
"The female looks different, with a rusty brown cap, so males and females can be distinguished quite easily. The species is common and successful. It has adapted very well to environmental changes, so it is not immediately threatened.
"An interesting point is that this adaptation also includes changes in migration behaviour. In this species, we can observe evolution almost in real time, which is quite intriguing."
Can you tell us more about that? It is a migratory species that leaves Czechia for warmer regions. Where does it go, and has that changed?
"Yes, blackcaps from Czechia and Central Europe traditionally migrate to the Mediterranean to spend the winter. However, a few decades ago, blackcaps from Central Europe, not only from Czechia, began appearing in Britain.
"This can happen when individual birds wander to unusual places. In most cases, they do not survive or fail to return. But blackcaps migrating to the UK found mild winters there and plenty of food at bird feeders.
"As winters became milder, Britain started to function as a suitable wintering area. This behavioural change gradually became genetically fixed. So while some individuals initially changed their behaviour, that change later became encoded at the genetic level.
"Today, it is documented that part of the Czech population migrates to Western Europe, including Britain, while another part still migrates to the Mediterranean."
You said the blackcap population in Czechia is stable. But the situation is different in the Mediterranean, where the birds are often hunted. Why is that?
"Indeed, nearly two million blackcaps are hunted in the Mediterranean every year. The reasons vary from country to country and from region to region.
"In Cyprus, which is one of the areas most affected by illegal hunting, the birds are used to make a local delicacy called ambelopoulia. It is prepared from small passerine birds, and blackcaps are often among the victims.
"Malta is another example, where birds are persecuted mainly by shooting or trapping. There it is less about food and more about hunting as a kind of sport, as well as capturing birds for cages.
"So there are clear cultural differences, but in the case of the blackcap, Cyprus is probably the most important country."
And finally, where can people encounter blackcaps here in the Czech Republic?
"We should wait until the end of March or the beginning of April, when they return from their wintering grounds. After that, they can be encountered almost everywhere.
"It is a very adaptable species. It needs bushes and trees, so it can be found in parks, gardens and forests. We would not expect to see it in open fields without vegetation or in extensive reed beds.
"Otherwise, it is really quite common. It is the most common Sylvia warbler in Czechia and one of the most common passerine birds overall."
