If you are in Athens for a few days, why do not take the opportunity and enjoy birdwatching just a few minutes from the city center. Take a look below of the most interesting bird species we might encounter:

Interesting bird species around Athens
* species marked with “*” are found next to the prefecture of Attica, in short distance from Athens city

1.      Residents (all year long)

Ferruginous Duck, Bonelli’s Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Chukar, Kentish Plover, Sandwich Tern, Little Owl, Scops Owl, Sardinian Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Sombre Tit, Penduline Tit, Rock Nuthatch, Blue-Rock Thrush, Serin, Rock Sparrow*

2.      Summer breeding visitors (Feb-Oct, depending on species)

Cory’s Shearwater, , Short-toed Eagle, Black-winged Stilt, Auduin’s Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Pallid Swift, Alpine Swift, Hoopoe, Greater Short-toed Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-headed Wagtail, Rufous Scrub Robin, Black-eared Wheatear, Easten Orphean Warbler, Rueppell’s Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Olive-tree Warbler*, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Black-headed Bunting

3.      Regular spring migrants (seen for several days/weeks during migration)

Black-crowed Night Heron, Squacco Heron, White Stork, Glossy Ibis, Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, Booted Eagle,  Honey Buzzard, Red-footed Falcon, Hobby, Eleonorae’s Falcon, Little Crake, Collared Pratincole, Stone Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Jack Snipe, White-winged Tern, Whiskered Tern, Bee-eater, Roller, Collared Flycatcher, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike,  Golden Oriole, Rock Thrush

4.      Winted visitors (seen mostly from Nov-March)

Yelkouan Shearwater, Great White Egret, Flamingo, Spotted Eagle, Hen Harrier, Avocet, Whimbrel, Mediterannean Gull, Slender-billed Gull Moustached Warbler, Rock Bunting