Only about 100 avian species live in the Vatican. This is not much of a surprise as it is the smallest city-state by area and, as such, doesn’t have a lot of space for birds to reside permanently. Most of the birds spotted here tend to be brief visitors. Some of the avifauna seen in the Vatican include the House Sparrow, the European Starling, and the Rock Pigeon.
List of Common Birds Found in Vatican City
Native Birds
- Barn Owl
- Barn Swallow
- Blackcap
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Black-headed Gull
- Black Kite
- Black Redstart
- Black-winged Stilt
- Blue Tit
- Booted Eagle
- Cetti’s Warbler
- Chaffinch
- Cirl Bunting
- Collared Dove
- Common Blackbird
- Common Buzzard
- Common Chiffchaff
- Common Cuckoo
- Common Firecrest
- Common Kestrel
- Common Kingfisher
- Common Nightingale
- Common Quail
- Common Redstart
- Common Sandpiper
- Common Stonechat
- Common Swift
- Common Whitethroat
- Common Wood Pigeon
- Egyptian Vulture
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Eurasian Coot
- Eurasian Golden Oriole
- Eurasian Hobby
- Eurasian Hoopoe
- Eurasian Jay
- Eurasian Magpie
- Eurasian Nuthatch
- Eurasian Scops Owl
- Eurasian Teal
- Eurasian Treecreeper
- Eurasian Wren
- European Bee-eater
- European Crested Tit
- European Goldcrest
- European Goldfinch
- European Greenfinch
- European Green Woodpecker
- European Pied Flycatcher
- European Robin
- European Roller
- European Serin
- European Starling
- European Turtle Dove
- Firecrest
- Garden Warbler
- Gray Heron
- Gray Wagtail
- Great Cormorant
- Great Crested Grebe
- Greater Spotted Eagle
- Great Tit
- Green Sandpiper
- Griffon Vulture
- Hooded Crow
- House Martin
- House Sparrow
- Italian Sparrow
- Lesser Kestrel
- Little Egret
- Little Grebe
- Long-tailed Tit
- Mallard
- Marsh Harrier
- Montagu’s Harrier
- Moorhen
- Northern Shoveler
- Northern Wheatear
- Pied Wheatear
- Red-backed Shrike
- Red-footed Falcon
- Red-legged Partridge
- Reed Warbler
- Rock Dove
- Sardinian Warbler
- Sedge Warbler
- Short-toed Snake Eagle
- Short-toed Treecreeper
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Tawny Owl
- Tree Pipit
- Tufted Duck
- White Stork
- White Wagtail
- Yellow-legged Gull
- Zitting Cisticola
Non-native Birds
- Monk Parakeet
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
Vatican City is a small city-state with limited green spaces, so it is not typically known as a birdwatching destination. Birding opportunities in Vatican City itself are pretty little. However, the peak time to see birds in the Vatican and surrounding areas is generally during the spring and autumn migrations. These migratory periods bring a variety of bird species passing through or stopping over in Rome on their way to breeding or wintering grounds.
