Waterbirds are in the Netherlands on migration or residence. The migratory birds depend on wetlands, waters, such as furs, swans, geese and ducks, to name just a few. This is the natural or ecological group. The second group called waterbird consists of bird species with the same ancestor, the Aequornithes, this is the group with the taxonomic meaning. This last group is a lot smaller than the first. Water areas, such as many in the Netherlands, are therefore of immense importance to water birds. In winter millions of waterbirds come to the Netherlands and the Netherlands has a great responsibility internationally in this area. In common they tolerate 86 areas in the Netherlands designated as bird areas. Unfortunately, the water quality established in Natura 2000 in many of these areas was not high enough to achieve the 86 target after research by Sovon in 2014.
