Birds of Kyrgyzstan

Over 400 species of birds live in Kyrgyzstan, including resident birds, migratory species, and birds of prey. Some species, such as the Saker Falcon and Demoiselle Crane, hold cultural and ecological significance in the country.

The Upland Buzzard is the national bird of Kyrgyzstan. It is the largest bird in the genus Buteo and has light and dark morphs.

List of Common Birds Found in Kyrgyzstan

Native Birds

Asian Desert Warbler
Azure Tit
Azure-winged Magpie
Barn Swallow
Bearded Vulture
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black Kite
Black Redstart
Black Stork
Black-tailed Godwit
Black-throated Accentor
Black-winged Kite
Black-winged Stilt
Blue Rock Thrush
Blyth’s Reed Warbler
Booted Eagle
Caspian Plover
Caspian Tern
Cinereous Vulture
Common Chaffinch
Common Chiffchaff
Common Cuckoo
Common Greenshank
Common Kingfisher
Common Myna
Common Pochard
Common Rosefinch
Common Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Corn Bunting
Crested Lark
Daurian Redstart
Demoiselle Crane
Eurasian Blackbird
Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Curlew
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Hobby
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Kestrel
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Eurasian Penduline Tit
Eurasian Reed Warbler
Eurasian Skylark
Eurasian Spoonbill
Eurasian Wigeon
Eurasian Wryneck
European Honey Buzzard
European Robin
Ferruginous Duck
Ferruginous Pochard
Fire-fronted Serin
Glossy Ibis
Golden Eagle
Great Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe
Great Reed Warbler
Great Tit
Greenish Warbler
Green Sandpiper
Grey-headed Goldfinch
Gray Heron
Griffon Vulture
Guldenstadt’s Redstart
Himalayan Snowcock
House Sparrow
Hume’s Leaf Warbler
Icterine Warbler
Isabelline Wheatear
Laughing Dove
Lesser Whitethroat
Little Bunting
Little Crake
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Owl
Long-eared Owl
Long-tailed Tit
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
Marsh Sandpiper
Mistle Thrush
Montagu’s Harrier
Northern Goshawk
Northern Wheatear
Oriental Turtle Dove
Osprey
Paddyfield Warbler
Pallas’s Leaf Warbler
Pallid Harrier
Red-billed Chough
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Red-crested Pochard
Red-footed Falcon
Red-necked Grebe
Red-throated Pipit
Rock Bunting
Rock Ptarmigan
Rock Sparrow
Ruddy Shelduck
Ruff
Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush
Saker Falcon
Sedge Warbler
Short-toed Treecreeper
Siberian Accentor
Slavonian Grebe
Slender-billed Gull
Spotted Flycatcher
Spotted Redshank
Steppe Buzzard
Steppe Eagle
Tawny Owl
Temminck’s Stint
Tufted Duck
Upland Buzzard
Water Rail
White-crowned Penduline Tit
White-headed Duck
White Stork
White-tailed Sea Eagle
White-throated Dipper
White Wagtail
White-winged Scoter
White-winged Tern
Wood Sandpiper
Yellow-billed Chough
Yellow-breasted Tit
Yellow-browed Warbler
Yellowhammer

Non-native Birds

Baikal Teal
Brooks’s Leaf Warbler
Great Bustard
Levant Sparrowhawk
Parasitic Jaeger
Plumbeous Redstart
Rock Partridge
Snow Bunting
Tundra Swan
White’s Thrush

Kyrgyzstan offers a variety of excellent birding sites due to its diverse landscapes and rich avian diversity, with some popular sites including Ala-Archa National Park, Issyk-Kul Lake, and Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve. The peak season for birding in Kyrgyzstan typically falls during the spring and summer months when the weather is milder, and bird activity is at its highest. The best time to visit for birdwatching is generally from April to September.