Over 400 bird species live in Ukraine. The list includes resident species, birds that nest in the country, migratory species that stop during migrations, and birds that stay in Ukraine for the winter. The most feathered creatures can be seen where there are forests and water, steppes and ravines, the sea coast and estuaries, city parks and river valleys.
UNN has compiled useful information about birds that can be seen in various parts of the country.
Resident birds of Ukraine: which of them can be seen in cities
In settlements and near human habitation, people most often see synanthropic (those that have adapted to live near humans - ed.) and partially synanthropic birds. Among them:
- rock dove;
- house sparrow;
- tree sparrow;
- common starling;
- great tit;
- magpie;
- hooded crow;
- jackdaw;
- rook;
- raven;
- common blackbird;
- song thrush.
In parks and cemeteries, you can see jays, waxwings (in winter), nuthatches, robins, hawfinches, and greenfinches.
Near city reservoirs, mallards have become common, and in open water in winter, coots and gulls can be found.
Corvus corax, or the common raven, has long lived in cities near humans
What affects urban ornithofauna
The species composition in cities is influenced by the presence of old trees, bushes, reservoirs, as well as the regime of grass cutting and leaf removal. Hollow trees are needed for woodpeckers, tits, starlings, and owls. Dense development creates niches for the common swift, which nests in building crevices. The preservation of green areas increases the number of small songbirds and insectivorous species.
In parks and cemeteries, you can see jays in winter
Forest birds of Ukraine: who lives in Polissia, the Carpathians, and the forest-steppe
Woodpeckers are common in Ukrainian forests: great spotted, lesser spotted, middle spotted, and also the black woodpecker.
In addition, you can find nuthatches, marsh tits, blue tits, coal tits (especially in coniferous thickets), common chiffchaffs, willow warblers, common chaffinches, robins, Eurasian treecreepers, thrushes, and common nightingales (in the undergrowth).
In the Carpathians and Polissia, you can see the western capercaillie, black grouse, and hazel grouse.
In the Carpathians and Polissia, you can see the hazel grouse
Birds of shrubs, forest edges, and ravines
Transitional zones between forests and open spaces are usually favored for nesting by warblers, buntings, and shrikes.
In shrubs, you can find blackcap warblers, common whitethroats, common buntings, and red-backed shrikes. In ravines and thickets near fields, pheasants, grey partridges, and quails can be found.
In shrubs and at forest edges, you can see a shrike
Wetland birds of Ukraine: who lives on rivers, lakes, floodplains, and estuaries
On freshwater bodies, mallards, garganeys, common teals, northern pintails, mute swans, greylag geese, coots, great crested grebes, and little grebes are often found.
Along the banks, you can see grey herons, great egrets, little egrets, Eurasian bitterns, and little bitterns.
During seasonal migrations, various waders choose water bodies in Ukraine: sandpipers, stints, godwits, plovers, as well as gulls and terns.
One of the common birds in Ukraine is the Eurasian bittern
Birds of the Black Sea coast and the Danube Delta
On the sea coast and in estuaries, cormorants, gulls, terns, and grebes are found. The Danube Delta and coastal protected areas are important for colonial species that nest on islands and spits. In such places, large concentrations of migrating geese and waders are observed during the migration season.
Cormorants live on the Black and Azov Sea coasts in Ukraine
Steppe birds of Ukraine
The steppe and open spaces have become home to larks, hoopoes, European bee-eaters, common kestrels, harriers, partridges, and quails. Buzzards, shrikes, and sometimes owls sit on power lines and trees in shelterbelts. In the steppe zone and protected areas, great bustards and little bustards can be found.
The lark has found refuge in the steppes of Ukraine
Birds of prey of Ukraine
Among diurnal raptors, the common buzzard, northern goshawk, Eurasian sparrowhawk, common kestrel, black kite, and western marsh harrier are common in swamps and floodplains. The white-tailed eagle is found near large bodies of water.
In the Carpathians and rocky areas, encounters with golden eagles are possible, and peregrine falcons are recorded during migration season. Among owls, the long-eared owl, tawny owl, and Eurasian eagle-owl are most often observed in certain regions.
Among the birds of prey in Ukraine, the kite is common
Migratory birds in Ukraine
Spring migration starts in February or March and lasts until May. Autumn migration intensifies from August and can last until November. During these periods, mass stops of geese, mallards, swans, cranes, and waders can be seen on water bodies, fields, and floodplains.
The white stork is a typical nesting species for many regions, and during migration, significant concentrations appear in resting places. Some birds winter in Ukraine if there is open water and available food, including mallards, gulls, waxwings, and some birds of prey.
Where to observe birds in Ukraine: regions and locations
River floodplains, city embankments, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries are suitable for observing waterfowl. Large areas with trees of different ages are needed for forest species. Natural steppe areas and ravines with shrubs are important for steppe birds. Well-known ornithological locations in Ukraine include the Shatsky Lakes, the Dnipro floodplains, the Danube Delta, the Black Sea estuaries, the southern steppe protected areas, and the Carpathians. Many regions have local ornithological communities that publish observation calendars and routes.
The first stork appeared in Hrytsyk and Odarka's nest23.03.26, 15:51