Abstract: In 2024, a total of 59 ringers ringed 67,436 birds belonging to 151 species and one interspecific hybrid (Hirundo rustica × Delichon urbicum). The five most frequently ringed species were the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla; 9,821 individuals, 14.6% of all birds), Great Tit (Parus major; 9,616 individuals, 14.3%), Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica; 7,313 individuals, 10.8%), European Robin (Erithacus rubecula; 5,296 individuals, 7.9%) and Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus; 5,275 individuals, 7.8%). These species rank among the most abundant ringed birds not only in 2023 but also throughout the entire period 2002–2023, with the Great Tit being the most numerous species overall (109,182 individuals; 9.9% of all ringed birds). In contrast, 16 species were represented by a single individual, and the Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) and the Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans sensu lato) were ringed for the first time in Slovakia. The most numerous species ringed as nestlings were the Great Tit (1,900 individuals), White Stork (Ciconia ciconia; 1,796 individuals), Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus; 1,061 individuals), Barn Swallow (688 individuals) and Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis; 450 individuals). Overall, nestlings accounted for approximately 12% of all ringed birds. Between 2002 and 2023, the total number of ringed birds in Slovakia increased significantly, while the number of ringed species showed a significant decline. This trend was mainly driven by a reduced ringing frequency of certain species groups, particularly waders and gulls. Although the number of ringed nestlings increased during the same period, their proportion of the total number of ringed birds remained stable. In 2024, a total of 826 foreign recoveries were recorded. Of these, 315 individuals were ringed abroad and subsequently recaptured in Slovakia, while 511 individuals were ringed in Slovakia and later recovered abroad. The longest-distance recovery involved a White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) found in Tanzania, 6,385 km from its ringing site in Slovakia. The longevity record was also held by a White Stork, which was re-encountered 13 years after ringing.

Key words: bird marking, colour banding, nestlings, migration, Central Europe