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.
List of Birds Found in Belgium
Native Birds
Bearded Reedling
Bee-eaters
Cormorants and Shags
Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- Carrion Crow
- Eurasian Jackdaw
- Eurasian Jay
- Eurasian Magpie
Cuckoos
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Common Pochard
- Graylag Goose
- Mute Swan
- Northern Shoveler
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Tufted Duck
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
Kingfishers
Kinglets
Larks
Leaf Warblers
- Common Chiffchaff
- Willow Warbler
Long-tailed Tits
Nightjars
Nuthatches
Old World Buntings
Old World Flycatchers
- Black Redstart
- Common Nightingale
- Common Redstart
- European Pied Flycatcher
- European Robin
- European Stonechat
- Spotted Flycatcher
Old World Sparrows
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
- House Sparrow
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
Sandpipers and Allies
- Common Greenshank
- Common Snipe
- Eurasian Woodcock
Shrikes
Starlings
Stilts and Avocets
Storks
Swallows
Swifts
Sylviid Warblers, Parrotbills, and Allies
Thrushes and Allies
- Eurasian Blackbird
- Redwing
- Song Thrush
Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice
- Crested Tit
- Eurasian Blue Tit
- Great Tit
Treecreepers
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.
