Birds of Belgium

Over 450 birds live in Belgium’s diverse environments. There are primarily three habitats, including coastal plains, fertile valleys, and rugged terrain. The most commonly seen birds mainly include various waterbirds like ducks, geese, egrets, storks, and spoonbills due to the proximity of the North Sea, which borders Belgium on one side. Some rarer birds seen there include the Red-necked Phalarope and the Eurasian Griffon.

Belgium’s national bird is the Common Kestrel. This bird of prey is beloved for aiding agriculture and forestry by keeping the population of pests like mice and other rodents low.

Birds of Belgium

List of Birds Found in Belgium

Native Birds

Bearded Reedling

  • Bearded Reedling

Bee-eaters

  • European Bee-eater

Cormorants and Shags

  • Great Cormorant

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

  • Carrion Crow
  • Eurasian Jackdaw
  • Eurasian Jay
  • Eurasian Magpie

Cuckoos

  • Common Cuckoo

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Falcons and Caracaras

  • Common Kestrel
  • Eurasian Hobby

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

  • Brambling
  • Common Chaffinch
  • Eurasian Bullfinch
  • Eurasian Linnet
  • Eurasian Siskin
  • European Goldfinch
  • European Greenfinch
  • European Serin
  • Hawfinch

Grebes

  • Great Crested Grebe
  • Little Grebe

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

  • Black-headed Gull
  • Common Tern
  • Herring Gull
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

  • Common Buzzard
  • Eurasian Marsh-harrier
  • Eurasian Sparrowhawk
  • Red Kite

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Ibises and Spoonbills

  • Eurasian Spoonbill

Kingfishers

  • Common Kingfisher

Kinglets

  • Goldcrest

Larks

  • Wood Lark

Leaf Warblers

  • Common Chiffchaff
  • Willow Warbler

Long-tailed Tits

  • Long-tailed Tit

Nightjars

  • Eurasian Nightjar

Nuthatches

  • Eurasian Nuthatch

Old World Buntings

  • Reed Bunting

Old World Flycatchers

  • Black Redstart
  • Common Nightingale
  • Common Redstart
  • European Pied Flycatcher
  • European Robin
  • European Stonechat
  • Spotted Flycatcher

Old World Sparrows

Owls

Pigeons and Doves

  • Common Wood-pigeon
  • Eurasian Collared-dove
  • European Turtle-dove
  • Stock Dove

Plovers and Lapwings

  • European Golden-plover
  • Northern Lapwing

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

  • Eurasian Coot
  • Eurasian Moorhen
  • Water Rail

Reed Warblers and Allies

  • Eurasian Reed Warbler

Sandpipers and Allies

  • Common Greenshank
  • Common Snipe
  • Eurasian Woodcock

Shrikes

  • Red-backed Shrike

Starlings

Stilts and Avocets

  • Pied Avocet

Storks

Swallows

  • Barn Swallow

Swifts

  • Common Swift

Sylviid Warblers, Parrotbills, and Allies

  • Eurasian Blackcap

Thrushes and Allies

  • Eurasian Blackbird
  • Redwing
  • Song Thrush

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice

  • Crested Tit
  • Eurasian Blue Tit
  • Great Tit

Treecreepers

  • Short-toed Treecreeper

Wagtails and Pipits

  • Gray Wagtail
  • White Wagtail

Woodpeckers

  • Black Woodpecker
  • Eurasian Green Woodpecker
  • Gray-headed Woodpecker

Wrens

Non-native Birds

  • Common Rosefinch
  • Eurasian Griffon
  • European Shag
  • Red-necked Phalarope
  • Ring-necked Pheasant
  • River Warbler

While Belgium is probably not amongst the first places whose names pop up when it comes to bird watching, there are quite a few places where one can enjoy the sheer avian diversity of the region, especially between October and April. These include Zwin Nature Park, High Fens, and Hoge Kempen National Park.

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