Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2026 All Rights Reserved

RIEW-Sofia alerts police about dead birds near Koprivshtitsa

Photo: Green Balkans Rescue Center

The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water - Sofia has alerted the "Crimes against Wildlife" Department of the National Police Directorate General about more than a thousand dead birds found near Koprivshtitsa. On the basis of the evidence found, the institution on whose territory the case of the dead Bramblings is located, proposes that an investigation be carried out into a crime of a general nature.


"The necropsy and analysis give reason to believe that the cause of death was stress caused by the pyrotechnics on New Year's Eve," the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Centre said earlier. According to the experts, there is no possibility that the birds near the city were poisoned or infected with avian flu.

Songbirds are diurnal and if they are frightened at night by the loud noise and sudden bursts of fireworks, they will fly up and become very disoriented, collide with obstacles, etc., a RIEW expert explained, adding that fireworks should not be used in ornithologically important places, national parks and other protected areas, as well as in bird colonies and roosts.

The Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla), also known as the Mountain Finch, is a small migratory songbird. It is widespread, but declining. It forms large flocks in winter, sometimes with thousands or even millions of birds in a single flock. It is a protected species in Bulgaria. According to the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, 1,534 Bramblings were recorded last year.





Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

A warning for dangerous rainfall has been issued for 12 regions in Southern Bulgaria

On Friday, the lowest temperatures will be between 4°C and 9°C, reaching up to 12°C in the southeast, around 6°C in Sofia . During the next 24 hours, the weather will remain cloudy. It will rain in almost the entire country. During the day, rainfall..

published on 11/27/25 6:45 PM

Varna mayor Blagomir Kotsev released pending trial on €102,258 bond

The Varna District Court has released the city’s mayor, Blagomir Kotsev, on a financial bond of €102,258. Before the court’s decision was announced, supporters of the mayor and members of the We Continue the Change party gathered outside the..

published on 11/27/25 5:37 PM

Three detained and five police officers injured at last night's protest in Sofia

Three people, including an Italian citizen, were arrested during last night's protest against the adoption of the 2026 budget in front of the National Assembly, the director of the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir..

published on 11/27/25 3:50 PM