Species protection on buildings
Do you already know your neighbors? There's something going on above and below Offenbach's rooftops! You have probably already noticed the srrirr-srrirr of the swifts and the silent fluttering of the bats in Offenbach's streets and gardens during the summer months. For many of us, the characteristic call of the swifts returning home at the beginning of May is the starting signal for the beginning of summer and the jagged flight of the bats is fascinating at dusk.
On this page
Swifts and bats often live unnoticed under our roofs or in tree hollows in our gardens and, like other building breeders, are strictly protected species under nature conservation law. Their habitats are dwindling. A large number of these species are now threatened with decline worldwide and their survival in our residential areas depends to a large extent on whether we are prepared to maintain and further promote the living conditions for these species, usually with little effort. These animals need our support. Join in and become a host! You can find out how to do this on this page.
Building renovation and species protection can be combined well
In order to protect the animals in the long term, existing nesting and roosting sites must be preserved or professionally replaced. At the same time, new nesting and roosting sites can be created when renovating buildings. You can also make use of the subsidies from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau. Costs for species protection measures are also subsidized in the case of eligible energy-efficient refurbishment.
Pay attention to species protection during the following renovations:
- Erection of scaffolding
- Roof extension
- Roof renovation
- Extension of the roof overhang
- External wall renovations
- Demolition of components or buildings
How do you recognize the secret lodgers?
- The nests are often found on or in roofs, facades, towers and chimneys.
- During twilight hours, you can observe the entry and departure behavior of birds and bats.
- Look out for droppings, pellets or feathers in roof spaces, barns, cellars, etc.
- Tree cavities are often used by birds and small mammals.
You may come across subtenants during these construction measures
Loft conversions/conversion of barns:
Hornets, bats, barn owls, swifts, barn swallows and house martins, wood pigeons, kestrels (wall niches), rarely jackdaws
Façade renovation/thermal insulation:
Bats, hornets, bumblebees, swifts, swallows, house sparrows, black redstarts, kestrels (wall niches), wood pigeons
Demolition:
Nesting sites for swifts, swallows, habitats for bats
Conversion/removal of garden ponds:
All amphibian species (for example grass frog, common toad, water frog, alpine newt, pond newt)
Removal of rubble heaps and rock piles:
Reptiles e.g. sand lizard, slow worm, grass snake
Clearing of hollow trees, bushes, hedges:
Bats, hornets, woodpeckers, redstart, as well as all small bird species (blackbird, thrush, finch, robin)
Who especially needs our support?
Two animal species are particularly affected by the decline in populations due to construction work:
Swift
Characteristics: Much larger than swallows, brown, sickle-shaped silhouette, call "srriiirr-srriiirr-srriiirr-"
Food: Only insects and arachnids, which they catch in flight (greatly reduces pests such as mosquitoes!)
Nest: cavity-nesting on buildings and rocks
Development period: 18-25 days incubation period, 37-56 days nestling period
Migrations: Migration home from early May, migration from mid-July to early August
Endangerment: Mainly due to the destruction of nesting sites through structural alterations
Pipistrelle bat
Characteristics: Smallest European bat species (max. 5 cm)
Food: Mosquitoes, flies, moths and other flying insects
Weekly roosts (females): from the end of April to mid-August, between 10 and 15 animals, crevice roosts such as cladding, shutter boxes, behind gable boarding, usually near bodies of water
Winter roosts: cellars, caves, crevices, e.g. between interior walls and bricks, behind paintings and wall cupboards
Summer roosts (mainly males): On and in buildings, wall cladding, roller shutters
Territoriality: The same roosts are used for years
Endangerment: Loss or devaluation of winter roosts in buildings due to conversion or removal of crevices, cavities, entry points, closure of attics and church towers
What should you know as a homeowner?
According to Section 44 of the German Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG), it is prohibited to stalk, capture, injure or kill wild animals of particularly protected species or to remove, damage or destroy their developmental forms from the wild.
Strictly protected species and European bird species may not be significantly disturbed during the breeding, rearing, moulting, wintering and migration periods.
It is prohibited to remove, damage or even destroy the breeding or resting places of particularly protected species.
What does that mean for you?
Please check or have checked whether your measure could affect the protection of species. Do animals of the species mentioned live on or in the building?
If this is the case, you will need a species protection permit, which must be applied for from the Lower Nature Conservation Authority at the Office for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection.
In our experience, there is almost always a solution for granting a permit or an exemption from prohibitions.
If you are planning a building project
- Observe which animals live in your house and garden.
- Plan future building projects for the long term.
- Find out about the legal basis
- Seek advice from experts in good time
in good time. - If necessary, have experts on site
to check whether measures need to be taken to protect the animals.
Would you like to become a new host?
Renovation work is a good opportunity to install nesting boxes and provide shelter for the animals. If there is scaffolding on the building, it is easy to install the nest boxes, which can even disappear into the plaster except for the entrance slot.
We will be happy to advise you!
If you have any further questions about species protection, please contact the City of Offenbach's Office for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection using the contact details provided and arrange a free energy consultation for an energy-efficient refurbishment.
Did you already know...?
... a feeding pair of swifts catches up to 50 grams of aerial plankton per day. That's the equivalent of more than 20,000 mosquitoes and spiders!
... swifts spend a large part of their lives exclusively in the air, they sleep, hunt and mate there and only come down to earth during the breeding season.
... Bats are not vampires! The 24 species native to our country feed exclusively on insects, spiders and beetles.
... Female bats of the same species share their maternity roosts in spring, where they raise their young together. Although they only weigh a few grams at birth, they are already fledged after 4-5 weeks and can hunt independently.
... swift boxes (opens in a new tab) were installed as part of the renovation of the hose and training tower at the fire and rescue station in Rhönstraße.
Downloads: Flyer and leaflet
Office for Environment and Climate
Stadt Offenbach am Main - Kaiserpalais
Kaiserstraße 39
63065 Offenbach
Notes on accessibility
Further information
KOMM parking garage, IHK Offenbach parking garage, Rathaus parking garage, public parking spaces on the banks of the Main
- +49 69 80652557
- +49 69 80652276
- umweltamtoffenbachde
- Further information
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and by appointment