Doñana responds immediately when water is available
Annual census shows 88 bird species with notable increases in key ducks and waders, driven by improved rainfall and wetland inundation conditions this winter. Spoonbills, moorhens, and black storks show strong recovery, yet common geese remain far below 1980s-2000s peaks when Doñana hosted 80,000+ wintering birds.
- 385,649 waterbirds of 88 species counted in January 2026
- Northern shovelers reached 120,970 individuals, up 65,000 from previous year
- Common geese declined from 80,000+ in 1980s-2000s to 3,700 today
- 517.6 mm rainfall accumulated, nearly double the previous winter
- Doñana hosted 684,084 birds in 1989 (aerial count only)
Doñana wetland recorded 385,649 aquatic birds in January 2026, marking significant recovery from drought-induced lows, though populations remain below historical averages and depend critically on water availability.
In January, counters fanned across the Doñana wetland with binoculars, vehicles, and aircraft, tallying birds species by species across the marshes of southern Spain. When they finished, the numbers told a story of recovery: 385,649 waterbirds representing 88 different species. It was a significant jump from the two years before, when drought had pushed populations to historic lows. The count, part of the International Waterbird Census coordinated by Wetlands International since 1967, offered the first real sign that Doñana was bouncing back.
The improvement hinged on one thing: water. The autumn and winter of 2025-2026 brought rain—517.6 millimeters accumulated so far, well above the average for this time of year and nearly double what fell the previous winter. That moisture transformed the marshes. Where the land had been parched and cracked, water now pooled across broad expanses, creating the shallow wetlands that waterbirds need to feed and rest. The birds responded immediately. Spoonbills, which depend on flooded marshes and rice paddies, jumped from roughly 1,200 to 2,200 individuals. Glossy ibises, equally water-dependent, surged from about 2,900 to nearly 14,900, gathering in large flocks across the inundated terrain. Even the black stork, a species so rare in European winters that Doñana has become one of its few reliable refuges, reached 113 birds—a remarkable concentration for a bird that normally winters in Africa.
Among the ducks, the recovery was most dramatic. Northern shovelers, the species that has grown most consistently in Doñana over the past two decades, nearly doubled their population, adding more than 65,000 birds to reach 120,970 individuals. Pochards, diving ducks that thrive in deeper water, climbed from roughly 4,400 to 10,600. Even the common goose, a species that once defined Doñana's winter landscape, showed modest gains—about 1,000 more birds, bringing the total to 3,700. But that number carried a shadow. In the 1980s and early 2000s, Doñana had hosted more than 80,000 wintering geese. It was their principal refuge on the Iberian Peninsula and one of Europe's most important goose wintering grounds. The current population, though rising, remained a fraction of what it once was.
The census methodology itself had evolved since 2004, when researchers standardized their approach to combine aerial counts, vehicle surveys, and roost counts—a more comprehensive picture than the aerial surveys alone that had been used before. This meant the current figures, while lower than the 1989 peak of roughly 684,000 birds (counted by air only), could not be directly compared to those earlier numbers. Against the 22-year average under the current methodology—437,000 birds—the January 2026 count still fell short. Yet the trajectory mattered more than the absolute number. After years of decline, the birds were returning.
Rubén Rodríguez Olivares, who leads the bird population team at the ICTS-Doñana monitoring program, framed the finding plainly: Doñana responds immediately when water is available. The wetland's capacity to support Europe's most important bird refuge depends entirely on that single variable. The census is funded by Andalusian regional agencies and coordinated through the national framework for Doñana restoration overseen by Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition. The message from the data was clear—the wetland's recovery is not inevitable. It requires sustained rainfall and careful water management. Without both, the birds will leave again.
Notable Quotes
The evolution of waterbirds confirms that Doñana responds immediately when it has water. The recovery of the marshes is essential for conserving species of high ecological value and maintaining this space as one of Europe's most important wetlands.— Rubén Rodríguez Olivares, ICTS-Doñana bird populations team
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a single winter's rainfall matter so much to these bird populations?
Because waterbirds don't just need any habitat—they need shallow water to feed in, and they need it reliably. When the marshes dry out, the invertebrates and small fish they eat disappear. The birds have no choice but to leave. A good winter with rain can reverse years of decline in a matter of weeks.
The common goose numbers are striking—from 80,000 down to 3,700. What happened?
That's the real story beneath the recovery. The geese didn't just leave because of drought. Over decades, water extraction for agriculture, dam management, and changing climate patterns have made Doñana less reliable as a wintering ground. Even with this year's rain, the geese haven't returned to their old numbers. They've found other places to winter, or the population itself has declined.
So this rebound could be temporary?
Absolutely. If next winter is dry, these numbers will crash again. The birds are responding to conditions, not to any permanent fix. That's why the researchers emphasize that water management matters as much as rainfall. You can't control the rain, but you can control how water is stored and released from reservoirs.
What makes Doñana so important compared to other European wetlands?
Its scale and location. It sits on a major migration route between Africa and northern Europe. For some species—the black stork, certain waders—it's one of the only places they can reliably find food and shelter in winter. Lose Doñana, and you lose a critical link in the survival chain for birds that breed across the continent.
The spoonbills and ibises showed the biggest jumps. Why those species specifically?
They're specialists in shallow water. When the marshes flood, they can wade and probe for food. They're also highly mobile—they can sense good conditions from far away and move quickly to exploit them. The geese, by contrast, are more tied to specific traditional wintering grounds. They're slower to return even when conditions improve.