Birds of Malta

Malta is home to over 400 species of birds. This is because these avian species pass through the spring and autumn as Malta is part of a long migratory route.

The national bird of Malta is the Blue Rock Thrush. Other notable species include the Cetti’s Warbler, the Little Egret, and the Barn Swallow.

List of Common Birds Found in Malta

Native Birds

Audouin’s Gull
Barn Swallow
Black-eared Wheatear
Black-headed Gull
Black Kite
Black-winged Stilt
Black-winged Stilt
Blue Rock Thrush
Blue Tit
Booted Eagle
Brambling
Cetti’s Warbler
Chaffinch
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Collared Flycatcher
Common Buzzard
Common Chiffchaff
Common Greenshank
Common Kestrel
Common Linnet
Common Nightingale
Common Pochard
Common Raven
Common Redshank
Common Ringed Plover
Common Rosefinch
Common Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Common Swift
Common Tern
Corn Bunting
Eurasian Bullfinch
Eurasian Curlew
Eurasian Hobby
Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Eurasian Spoonbill
Eurasian Teal
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Eurasian Wren
European Bee-eater
European Crested Tit
European Goldfinch
European Greenfinch
European Green Woodpecker
European Honey Buzzard
European Nuthatch
European Pied Flycatcher
European Robin
European Roller
European Serin
European Siskin
European Starling
European Stonechat
European Turtle Dove
Ferruginous Duck
Firecrest
Garganey
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Great Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Gray Heron
Gray Wagtail
Hawfinch
Hooded Crow
Hoopoe
House Sparrow
Isabelline Wheatear
Kentish Plover
Little Egret
Little Tern
Long-tailed Tit
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
Meadow Pipit
Merlin
Montagu’s Harrier
Northern Goshawk
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Northern Wheatear
Ortolan Bunting
Osprey
Pallid Harrier
Peregrine Falcon
Red-footed Falcon
Red Kite
Redstart
Red-throated Pipit
Rock Pipit
Ruff
Sandwich Tern
Sardinian Warbler
Short-toed Eagle
Short-toed Treecreeper
Skylark
Spanish Sparrow
Spectacled Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Spotted Redshank
Stonechat
Tawny Pipit
Tree Sparrow
Tufted Duck
Water Pipit
Western Jackdaw
Western Marsh Harrier
Whimbrel
Whinchat
White Wagtail
Willow Warbler
Wood Sandpiper
Wood Warbler
Yellow-legged Gull
Yellow Wagtail
Zitting Cisticola

Non-native Birds

Allen’s Gallinule
Chukar Patridge
Common Nighthawk
Egyptian Nightjar
Great Bustard
Laughing Dove
Little Swift
Spotted Sandgrouse

Some of Malta’s best sites to go birdwatching include Buskett Gardens, Ghadira Nature Reserve, and Salina Nature Reserve. The peak season for birding in Malta typically occurs during the spring and autumn migration.