Waterbirds are visible and good indicators of the ecological quality of their habitats, showing the general status and trends in the habitats they use. On average, during the winters 2015/16 to 2017/18, the Rhine Valley was home to over 1.1 million native waterbirds of 70 species, 25 of which occurred in internationally important populations. A comparison of the population figures between the six river sections shows that the lake ecosystems of Lake Constance, IJsselmeer, Markermeer and Randmeren and the river sections of the Rhine each host about half of the water birds.
