The 23rd national raptor census completed in Hungary

In January 2026, the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (MME) — in cooperation with national park directorates and other nature conservation organizations — organized the 23rd annual census of raptors wintering in Hungary. Conservation organizations and experts from neighboring countries also joined the survey, marking the ninth time they have participated since 2018. This effort resulted in a winter raptor map of the Carpathian Basin, based on observations of 2,552 eagles and 320 falcons, totaling 23,165 raptors across 17 species.
Observations were carried out by 635 ornithologists from Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia and Romania. Surveys in the Northern Great Plain were conducted by experts as part of the LIFE SakerRoads project (LIFE21/NAT/HU/101074704) — supported by the European Union and the Hungarian state, among others — which aims to protect the Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug).
Six Greater Spotted Eagles were recorded (compared to nine in 2025).