Birds of Netherlands

Over 500 species of birds live in the Netherlands. The country has various habitats, including dunes, heathlands, lakes, and woodlands, so the avifauna found here are diverse.

The Dutch national bird is the Bar-tailed Godwit. Other notable avian species include the Eurasian Moorhen, the Mute Swan, and the Barn Owl.

List of Common Birds Found in the Netherlands

Native Birds

Arctic Tern
Barnacle Goose
Barn Owl
Barn Swallow
Bar-tailed Godwit
Bearded Reedling
Black Grouse
Black-headed Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Black-tailed Godwit
Black Tern
Black Woodpecker
Blue Tit
Brent Goose
Carrion Crow
Coal Tit
Common Buzzard
Common Chaffinch
Common Crane
Common Cuckoo
Common Eider
Common Goldeneye
Common Greenshank
Common Gull
Common Kestrel
Common Kingfisher
Common Linnet
Common Magpie
Common Merganser
Common Moorhen
Common Pheasant
Common Pochard
Common Redshank
Common Reed Warbler
Common Ringed Plover
Common Sandpiper
Common Shelduck
Common Snipe
Common Swift
Common Tawny Owl
Common Teal
Common Tern
Common Whitethroat
Common Wood Pigeon
Crested Tit
Dunlin
Dunnock
Eurasian Blackbird
Eurasian Blackcap
Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Coot
Eurasian Curlew
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Jackdaw
Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Moorhen
Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Eurasian Penduline Tit
Eurasian Reed Warbler
Eurasian Siskin
Eurasian Skylark
Eurasian Spoonbill
Eurasian Teal
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Eurasian Wigeon
Eurasian Wren
Eurasian Wryneck
European Goldcrest
European Goldfinch
European Greenfinch
European Green Woodpecker
European Herring Gull
European Pied Avocet
European Pied Flycatcher
European Robin
European Serin
European Shag
European Starling
European Turtle Dove
Gadwall
Garden Warbler
Gray Heron
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe
Great Egret
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Green Sandpiper
Green Woodpecker
Gray Heron
Graylag Goose
Gray Plover
Grey Wagtail
Hawfinch
Hen Harrier
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Whitethroat
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Owl
Little Ringed Plover
Little Tern
Long-eared Owl
Long-tailed Duck
Long-tailed Tit
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
Marsh Tit
Meadow Pipit
Mediterranean Gull
Mute Swan
Northern Fulmar
Northern Gannet
Northern Lapwing
Northern Raven
Northern Shoveler
Northern Wheatear
Pink-footed Goose
Purple Sandpiper
Red-breasted Merganser
Red Knot
Redwing
Reed Bunting
Ruddy Turnstone
Ruff
Sandwich Tern
Sedge Warbler
Short-eared Owl
Spotted Flycatcher
Stock Dove
Stonechat
Tawny Pipit
Tufted Duck
Velvet Scoter
Whimbrel
White Stork
White Wagtail
Willow Tit
Willow Warbler
Wood Sandpiper
Yellowhammer

Non-native Birds

African Sacred Ibis
Alexandrine Parakeet
Ashy-throated Parrotbill
Bar-headed Goose
Black Swan
Chilean Flamingo
Egyptian Goose
House Crow
Mandarin Duck
Northern Bald Ibis
Ring-necked Pheasant
Rock Pigeon
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Ruddy Duck
Vinous-throated Parrotbill

Some of the best places to go birding in the Netherlands include Oostvaardersplassen Reserve, Lauwersmeer National Park, and the island of Texel. The best time for birding in the Netherlands generally occurs during the spring and autumn months when migration is at its peak.