Birds of Cyprus

Over 400 species of birds live in Cyprus. These avian species live in various habitats in the country, including Mediterranean forests, mountains, and coasts.

The national bird of Cyprus is the Cyprus Warbler, an endemic bird of the nation. There are two other endemic species – the bird of prey, Cyprus Scops Owl, and the small passerine bird Cyprus Wheatear.

List of Common Birds Found in Cyprus

Native Birds

Alpine Swift
Audouin’s Gull
Barn Swallow
Black-eared Wheatear
Black Francolin
Black-headed Bunting
Black-headed Gull
Black Kite
Black Redstart
Black-tailed Godwit
Black-winged Stilt
Blue Rock Thrush
Cetti’s Warbler
Chukar Partridge
Collared Flycatcher
Collared Pratincole
Common Blackbird
Common Chaffinch
Common Chiffchaff
Common Hoopoe
Common Kestrel
Common Kingfisher
Common Moorhen
Common Nightingale
Common Quail
Common Redstart
Common Ringed Plover
Common Snipe
Common Swift
Common Whitethroat
Corn Bunting
Crested Lark
Cretzschmar’s Bunting
Cyprus Coal Tit
Cyprus Jay
Cyprus Scops Owl
Cyprus Short-toed Treecreeper
Cyprus Warbler
Cyprus Wheatear
Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler
Eleonora’s Falcon
Eurasian Blackcap
Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Coot
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Griffon Vulture
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Kestrel
Eurasian Linnet
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Eurasian Reed Warbler
Eurasian Skylark
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Eurasian Wryneck
European Bee-eater
European Goldfinch
European Greenfinch
European Green Woodpecker
European Nightjar
European Pied Flycatcher
European Robin
European Roller
European Serin
European Shag
European Starling
European Stonechat
European Turtle Dove
Glossy Ibis
Greater Flamingo
Great Reed Warbler
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Gray Heron
Gray Wagtail
Hooded Crow
House Martin
House Sparrow
Kentish Plover
Laughing Dove
Little Egret
Little Owl
Little Ringed Plover
Little Tern
Mallard
Masked Shrike
Meadow Pipit
Mistle Thrush
Northern Wheatear
Olivaceous Warbler
Red-legged Partridge
Red-rumped Swallow
Rock Bunting
Rose-colored Starling
Ruff
Sardinian Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Song Thrush
Spanish Sparrow
Spectacled Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Subalpine Warbler
Tree Pipit
Water Pipit
Western Jackdaw
Western Marsh Harrier
Western Orphean Warbler
Whinchat
Whiskered Tern
White Stork
White Wagtail
White-winged Tern
Woodlark
Yellow-legged Gull
Zitting Cisticola
Armenian Gull
Barred Warbler
Black-bellied Plover
Black-crowned Night-heron
Black Tern
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Bonelli’s Eagle
Booted Eagle
Caspian Gull
Cattle Egret
Cinereous Vulture
Common Buzzard
Common Greenshank
Common Gull
Common Redshank
Common Sandpiper
Common Tern
Eastern Orphean Warbler
Eastern Subalpine Warbler
Egyptian Vulture
Eurasian Dotterel
Eurasian Hobby
Eurasian Marsh-harrier
European Golden-plover
European Honey-buzzard
Garden Warbler
Great Bittern
Great Egret
Greater Sand-plover
Greater Whitethroat
Green Sandpiper
Gull-billed Tern
Hen Harrier
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Kestrel
Lesser Whitethroat
Little Bittern
Little Gull
Long-Legged Buzzard
Marsh Sandpiper
Mediterranean Gull
Merlin
Montagu’s Harrier
Northern Goshawk
Northern Lapwing
Pallid Harrier
Peregrine Falcon
Purple Heron
Red-footed Falcon
Rüppell’s Warbler
Sandwich Tern
Sardinian Warbler
Slender-billed Gull
Spotted Redshank
Spur-winged Lapwing
Squacco Heron
Wood Sandpiper

Non-native Birds

Arctic Loon
Caspian Tern
Corn Crake
Dideric Cuckoo
Egyptian Goose
Greater Scaup
Horned Grebe
Lesser Flamingo
Mute Swan
Namaqua Dove
Northern Gannet
Oriental Pratincole
Pectoral Sandpiper
Pomarine Jaeger
Sociable Lapwing

Cyprus is a fantastic destination for birdwatching, as it serves as a crucial stopover for migrating birds traveling between Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some of the best birding sites in Cyprus include Akrotiri Salt Lake, Larnaca Salt Lake, and the Troodos Mountains. One can witness impressive bird populations during the spring (Late March to May) and the autumn (August to November) migrations.