Fewer of our common, feathery friends are being spotted in British gardens.
A record low number of starlings have been sighted in the Channel Islands this year.
The statistic comes from the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, which saw the birds fall out of the top three most common in the UK, and from 5th down to 10th in Jersey and Guernsey.
Beccky Speight, RSPB Chief Executive, says that Starlings are one of Britain's most charismatic garden birds, but these results are a reason for concern.
"With one in six species at risk of extinction in Great Britain, we've done more damage to our natural world than we realise.
"However, we can all do our bit to support these threatened birds by taking small actions that can not only benefit Starlings, but a wealth of other garden wildlife."
European Starling
Islanders can do numerous things to help encourage starlings to inhabit their gardens, through avoiding the use of pesticides and keeping a natural lawn.
Starlings forage for invertebrates for food, this includes leatherjackets (cranefly larvae).
Short grass is also great for our feathery friends as they need to watch out for predators whilst looking for snacks.
The RSPB recommends mowing the lawn now and then to help them with this.
If islanders want to go the extra mile, they can install a bird box with a 45 mm hole for the starlings to get in and out of.
Wood Pigeon, House Sparrow and Great Tit
1,100 islanders took part in the weekend of birdwatching, with house sparrows, wood pigeons and great tits coming out on top.
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