Waterfowl in Switzerland: Winter Guests in the Line of Fire

Around half a million waterbirds spend the winter on Swiss lakes and rivers every year. Switzerland is of particular international importance as a wintering and resting site, which is why the Federal Council signed the Ramsar Convention for the protection of wetlands in 1974. At the same time, thousands of waterbirds are shot in Switzerland every year. In 2025, around 4,100 ducks were killed, along with 22 great crested grebes, 201 coots and 1,538 cormorants (Swiss Hunting Statistics 2025). Under the Federal Act on Hunting (JSG, Art. 5), wild ducks may be hunted, with the exception of expressly protected species. BirdLife Switzerland states: «Ecologically, hunting is entirely unnecessary, not only for hares but also for birds.» The pochard is listed as «vulnerable» on the IUCN's global Red List and as «endangered» on the Swiss Red List of breeding birds; teal, purple heron, gadwall and shoveler are considered «vulnerable» in Switzerland. All of them are hunted regardless. The coot is classified as «near threatened» across Europe. Switzerland welcomes winter visitors from half of Europe, and shoots at them.

The huntable waterbirds at a glance

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

The mallard is the most common and best-known duck species in Switzerland. In breeding plumage the drake is unmistakable: metallic green head, white neck ring, chestnut-brown breast, grey body. The female is mottled brown with a blue wing speculum. The mallard weighs 850 to 1,400 grams and measures 50 to 65 centimetres in body length. It lives on practically all types of water body, from mountain lakes and rivers to city parks. In Switzerland the mallard is both a breeding bird and a winter visitor. It breeds from March, lays 7 to 13 eggs and raises the ducklings alone. The mallard is by far the most heavily hunted duck species in Switzerland. In 2025, 3,792 mallards were killed, of which 568 in the canton of St. Gallen, 444 in Bern and 370 in Fribourg (Federal Hunting Statistics). In 2016 the figure was still 5,142.

Teal (Anas crecca)

The teal is the smallest European duck species: only 34 to 38 centimetres long and weighing 250 to 400 grams. The drake has a chestnut-brown head with a broad green eye stripe. The teal breeds in Switzerland in small numbers and is present mainly as a winter visitor and passage migrant. It prefers shallow, richly vegetated waters. On the Swiss Red List of breeding birds (Knaus et al., 2021), the teal is classified as "vulnerable" (VU). Nevertheless, 142 teal were shot in 2025, 55 of them in the canton of Fribourg and 37 in St. Gallen (Federal Hunting Statistics). The teal is one of three duck species that would have remained huntable even under the (failed) revised hunting act (Tages-Anzeiger, 2019).

Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)

The tufted duck is a diving duck with striking black-and-white plumage in the drake and a characteristic tuft of feathers at the back of the head. It weighs 550 to 900 grams and is 40 to 47 centimetres long. In Switzerland, the tufted duck has only established itself as a breeding bird in recent decades and numbers 160 to 280 breeding pairs (Swiss Ornithological Institute, population estimate 2013–2016); on the Red List of breeding birds it is classified as "vulnerable" (VU). As a winter visitor it is considerably more common. The tufted duck dives down to six metres to feed on mussels, snails and insect larvae. In 2025, 59 tufted ducks were killed; in 2016 the figure was 124 (Federal Hunting Statistics). The Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach describes the most species-rich breeding areas as "structurally diverse wetlands on or near the larger lakes" and stresses that, among Swiss ducks, only the mallard is common and widespread, while all other duck species are rare breeding birds (Swiss Ornithological Institute, Breeding areas and wintering grounds of waterbirds).

Pochard (Aythya ferina)

The pochard is a medium-sized diving duck, the drake having a reddish-brown head and a black breast. Since 2015 it has been classed as 'vulnerable' (VU) on the IUCN's global Red List and is also considered threatened across Europe (BirdLife International, European Red List of Birds 2021: VU). In Switzerland, with just 6 to 9 breeding pairs, it is a very rare breeding bird and appears on the Red List of breeding birds as 'endangered' (EN); it is also an important winter visitor. Tens of thousands of pochards overwinter on Lake Constance, and in midwinter the region holds internationally significant shares of the flyway population (Wildtierportal BW, Tafelente). In 2025, 35 pochards were killed in Switzerland, compared with 46 in 2024 and still 99 in 2016 (Federal Hunting Statistics). BirdLife Switzerland criticises: of the 4,729 ducks shot in 2018, only 2.2 per cent belonged to the species that the revised hunting act was meant to protect (BirdLife Switzerland, hunting statistics).

Other huntable waterbirds

Besides ducks, in Switzerland the Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), the coot (Fulica atra) and the Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) are also hunted. The great crested grebe is listed on the Red List of breeding birds as 'near threatened' (NT) and is one of the nationally priority species. In 2019, 142 great crested grebes were shot, 71 per cent more than the previous year, and protection was not even discussed (BirdLife Switzerland, hunting statistics). In 2025 the figure was still 22, 12 of them in St. Gallen. The coot is classed as 'near threatened' (NT) across Europe and is nevertheless hunted in Switzerland: 201 were killed in 2025, 423 in 2019 (Federal Hunting Statistics; BirdLife International, 2021). The cormorant is shot as an alleged fish thief in the interests of professional fishing: in 2025 the figure was 1,538 cormorants, 287 of them under special kill permits (Federal Hunting Statistics).

Switzerland as a wintering ground: international responsibility

Half a million guests

The Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach documents: 'In winter, Switzerland is home to around half a million waterbirds' (Swiss Ornithological Institute, waterbird counts). Swiss lakes rarely freeze over and provide food all year round. This makes Switzerland one of the most important wintering areas in Central Europe for duck species that breed in Scandinavia, Russia and Eastern Europe. Tens of thousands of diving and dabbling ducks concentrate on Lake Constance and Lake Geneva.

Ramsar Convention and protected areas

Switzerland signed the Ramsar Convention in 1974, designated eleven Ramsar sites and established 10 waterbird and migratory bird reserves of international and 25 of national importance (FOEN, Waterbird and Migratory Bird Reserves). Yet BirdLife Switzerland is critical: of the roughly 40 areas that should in fact be protected, more than a third are still missing from the Confederation's protection ordinance. Switzerland has not designated a new Ramsar site for years and is the «far bottom of the class for protected areas in Europe» (BirdLife Switzerland, Wetlands, 2022). On Lake Constance and the Untersee in particular, one of the most important waterbird areas in Europe, Switzerland has not designated a single Ramsar site, while Germany and Austria did so long ago.

The contradiction

Switzerland commits itself internationally to protecting waterbirds and their habitats, yet shoots thousands of winter visitors every year. Birds that seek refuge on Swiss lakes are met there by recreational hunters. Hunting ducks, great crested grebes and coots on their wintering waters undermines the international protection strategy and runs counter to the spirit of the Ramsar Convention.

More on this: Dossier: Hunting and Biodiversity

Hunting: 15 species in the line of fire

Legal situation

Under the Federal Act on Hunting (JSG, Art. 5 para. 1 let. o), wild ducks may be hunted in Switzerland, with a closed season from 1 February to 31 August; only wild geese, shelducks, mergansers, swans and a few rare duck species (Art. 5 para. 2 JSG) as well as the ferruginous duck (Art. 3bis JSV) are protected. Added to this are the great crested grebe, the coot and the cormorant. The cantons may extend the closed seasons or protect species. Lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting for years (Art. 2 para. 1 let. l JSV). In 2020, a revised hunting act was rejected by the Swiss electorate. The revised act would have reduced the number of huntable duck species to three (mallard, teal, tufted duck), but BirdLife Switzerland criticised that 98 per cent of duck kills would still have been permitted, with only 2.2 per cent of kills falling on newly protected species (BirdLife Switzerland, Hunting Statistics; Tages-Anzeiger, 2019).

The scale of the killing

According to the Swiss Federal Hunting Statistics, in 2025 3,792 mallards, 142 teal, 59 tufted ducks, 35 pochards, 18 gadwalls, 7 wigeons and 4 shovelers were killed, around 4,100 ducks of all species in total. In addition, 22 great crested grebes, 201 coots and 1,538 cormorants were killed. Duck kills have declined since 2016 (around 5,600), but for the threatened species teal and gadwall they rose again in 2025 compared with the previous year.

Threatened species in the line of fire

The scandal of Swiss waterfowl hunting lies in the fact that species listed on Red Lists are also hunted. Since 2015 the pochard has been classified as 'vulnerable' (VU) on the global Red List and as 'endangered' (EN) on the Swiss Red List of breeding birds. Teal, tufted duck, gadwall and shoveler are considered 'vulnerable' (VU) in Switzerland, the great crested grebe 'near threatened' (Knaus et al., 2021). The coot is classified as 'near threatened' (NT) across Europe (BirdLife International, 2021). That Switzerland hunts species regarded internationally as threatened while having signed the Ramsar Convention is a contradiction that cannot be justified by any 'reasonable ground' within the meaning of the Animal Welfare Act.

More on this: Animal welfare problem: wild animals suffer agonising deaths because of recreational hunters

Ecological significance: waterfowl as ecosystem engineers

Nutrient cycling

Ducks and other waterfowl transport nutrients between bodies of water and terrestrial habitats. Their droppings fertilise riverbanks and lakeshores and promote plant growth. Diving ducks such as the tufted duck and the pochard help regulate mussel and snail populations and thereby influence water quality.

Seed dispersal

Dabbling ducks such as the mallard and the teal disperse plant seeds over hundreds of kilometres, both through their digestive tract (endozoochory) and in their plumage (epizoochory). This service is irreplaceable for connecting isolated wetlands and for the genetic diversity of aquatic plants. Studies have shown that up to ten per cent of the plant seeds ingested by ducks survive digestion and remain viable.

Food chain

Waterfowl are key prey for predators such as the white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, goshawk and fox. The white-tailed eagle, which occasionally appears in Switzerland as a winter visitor and may resettle here in the future, depends on waterfowl as its main food. The eagle owl, too, regularly takes ducks and coots. Anyone who decimates waterfowl also decimates the food supply of predators.

Indicator species

Waterfowl populations are a recognised indicator of the quality of aquatic ecosystems. Switzerland has been carrying out waterfowl counts for decades (Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach, waterfowl counts). Declining populations point to deteriorating water quality, reduced food availability or increasing disturbance. It is paradoxical that the very same species that serve as indicators of the health of our waters are hunted at the same time.

What needs to change

Immediate removal of all threatened waterfowl species from the list of huntable species: The common pochard (globally VU, Switzerland EN), the teal, garganey, gadwall and shoveler (Switzerland VU), the great crested grebe (Switzerland NT) and the coot (Europe-wide NT) must no longer be hunted. Hunting species that appear on international Red Lists is incompatible with the Ramsar Convention and the Animal Welfare Act.
Reduction of the number of huntable duck species to zero: Recreational hunting of waterfowl has no reasonable justification. Ducks cause no damage that would justify killing them. The meat yield is marginal, while the disturbance to winter visitors is considerable. All duck species should be removed from the list of huntable species.
Expansion of waterfowl and migratory bird reserves: Switzerland must add the missing 15 nationally important waterfowl areas to the protection ordinance and designate cross-border Ramsar sites on Lake Constance and Untersee.
Hunting-free zones on all overwintering waters: The hunting of waterfowl on overwintering waters must end. Winter visitors who come to Switzerland from across half of Europe deserve protection, not buckshot.
Consistent enforcement of the lead shot ban: Lead shot is banned for waterfowl hunting in Switzerland (Art. 2 JSV) because it poisons waters and kills waterfowl that mistake the pellets for food. The EU followed suit in 2023 (EU bans lead shot bird hunting in wetlands). The cantons must also enforce the ban.

Talking points

“The mallard is common and can be hunted sustainably.” The fact that a species is common does not automatically make killing it meaningful. The mallard causes no damage that would justify a kill. The meat yield of a mallard is minimal. The disturbance of waterbodies caused by duck hunting affects not only the mallard but all waterbirds overwintering on the same water, including endangered species such as the pochard. Every shot fired at a mallard drives dozens of other birds from their resting place.

“Waterfowl hunting has a long tradition in Switzerland.” The tradition of waterfowl hunting goes back to a time when ducks were an important source of food. Today, duck hunting is a hobby that conflicts with the Animal Welfare Act. The “reasonable ground” for killing an animal cannot, in the 21st century, be the leisure pleasure of a few recreational hunters.

“Switzerland has established protected areas for waterbirds, and hunting takes place outside these areas.” The protected areas are patchy: more than a third of the waterbird sites of national importance are missing from the protection ordinance (BirdLife Switzerland, 2022). Waterbirds do not respect the boundaries of reserves. They use various waterbodies and are mobile across their wintering waters. Hunting outside the reserves disturbs the birds and drives them onto less suitable, energetically less favourable waters.

“Duck hunting has no impact on populations.” If duck hunting has no impact on populations, it also serves no purpose. A kill without effect and without necessity is senseless killing. The Animal Welfare Act requires a reasonable ground for killing an animal, and “it has no impact” is not a reasonable ground.

“The cormorant eats too many fish and must be regulated.” The cormorant is a natural part of Switzerland's aquatic fauna. Professional fishing has suffered in recent decades from various factors, including over-fertilisation, nutrient removal by wastewater treatment plants, climate change and invasive species. Making the cormorant a scapegoat distracts from the real causes. In Geneva, where recreational hunting has been banned since 1974, no cormorants were killed in 2025 (Dossier: Geneva and the hunting ban).

Quick links

Articles on Wild beim Wild:

Related dossiers

sources

FOEN, Federal Hunting Statistics: Waterbirds 2016–2025, kills and special kills by canton, accessed on 21.10.2026 (jagdstatistik.ch)
BirdLife Switzerland: The current hunting statistics and the revised Hunting Act (birdlife.ch, 2020)
BirdLife Switzerland (2015): Global Red List 2015, turtle dove and pochard now globally threatened (birdlife.ch)
BirdLife International (2021): European Red List of Birds 2021 (pochard VU, tufted duck NT, coot NT, common eider EN)
BirdLife Switzerland (2022): Switzerland lagging far behind in the protection of wetlands and waterbird reserves (birdlife.ch)
Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach: Waterbird counts, around half a million winter visitors (vogelwarte.ch)
Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach: Breeding grounds and wintering areas of waterbirds (vogelwarte.ch)
Swiss Ornithological Institute (2020): Population estimate of breeding birds in Switzerland, update 2013–2016 (pochard 6–9 pairs, tufted duck 160–280 pairs)
Tages-Anzeiger / Landbote (2019): In the hunters' sights (pochard, 15 huntable duck species, referendum)
Schweizer Bauer (2020): Hunting Act, vote (only 3 huntable duck species envisaged)
FOEN: Waterbird and migratory bird reserves of international and national importance (bafu.admin.ch)
FOEN: Red Lists, threatened species in Switzerland (bafu.admin.ch)
Knaus P., Antoniazza S., Keller V., Sattler T., Schmid H., Strebel N. (2021): Red List of Breeding Birds. FOEN and Swiss Ornithological Institute, Environmental Enforcement No. 2124 (bafu.admin.ch)
Ramsar Convention: Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (SR 0.451.46)
Wildlife Portal Baden-Württemberg: Pochard, Lake Constance hosts 7.7% of the flyway population
IUCN Red List: Pochard (Aythya ferina), status VU since 2015
IG Wild beim Wild (2026): Hunting statistics Switzerland 2025 (wildbeimwild.com)
Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds (JSG, SR 922.0), version of 1 February 2025 (fedlex.admin.ch)
Ordinance on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds (JSV, SR 922.01), Art. 2 and 3bis (fedlex.admin.ch)
Animal Welfare Act (TSchG, SR 455)
Ordinance on Waterbird and Migratory Bird Reserves (WZVV, SR 922.32)

Our Standard

Switzerland is a wintering ground for half a million waterbirds. Ducks, grebes, coots and cormorants arrive on our lakes from Scandinavia, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Alpine region because here they find open water, food and relative peace. With the Ramsar Convention, Switzerland committed itself to protecting these habitats and their inhabitants. It has established waterbird and migratory bird reserves, funded waterbird counts and positioned itself internationally as a responsible guardian of wetlands. And then it shoots its guests.

Every year in Switzerland, around 4,000 ducks, hundreds of coots, dozens of great crested grebes and around 1,500 cormorants are killed. Among them are species listed on both the global and the Swiss Red List. The tufted duck, whose winter population on Lake Constance is of international importance, is shot in Switzerland. The coot, classified Europe-wide as 'near threatened', is shot in Switzerland. The great crested grebe, whose kills rose by 71 per cent in a single year, is shot without its protection even being discussed. This hunt is not wildlife management. There is no problem that is solved by shooting ducks on wintering lakes. There is no damage being prevented. There is no 'reasonable ground' within the meaning of the Animal Welfare Act. There is only small-game hunting as the leisure pursuit of a small minority, practised at the expense of biodiversity and of Switzerland's international obligations.

The consequence is clear: all waterbirds in Switzerland must be struck from the list of huntable species. Switzerland must take its responsibility as a wintering ground seriously, designate the missing protected areas and end duck hunting on wintering waters. This dossier is updated continuously whenever new figures, studies or political developments require it.

More on the topic of recreational hunting: In our dossier overview we bring together fact checks, analyses and background reports.