Greece Special Protection Area for birds
Agia lake
176 bird species recorded; the most in April and in September.
Marina Padouva · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
37 species in January.49 species in February.92 species in March.133 species in April.100 species in May.63 species in June.64 species in July.91 species in August.125 species in September.111 species in October.73 species in November.63 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.

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- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
176 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 176Speciesrecorded more than once
- 108Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 6ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 9,534Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 19Raptors
- 3Owls
- 18Waders
- 11Gulls & seabirds
- 16Ducks & geese
- 16Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 73Songbirds
- 19Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 176 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors19 species
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Lesser spotted eagleAquila pomarina
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga
- MerlinFalco columbarius
Owls3 species
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
Waders18 species
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
Gulls & seabirds11 species
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Common TernSterna hirundo
Ducks & geese16 species
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Swan GooseAnser cygnoides
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
Herons, ibises & grebes16 species
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Microcarbo pygmaeusMicrocarbo pygmaeus
- Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
Storks & cranes1 species
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Songbirds73 species
- Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Italian SparrowPasser italiaeVU
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Great titParus major
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Collared FlycatcherFicedula albicollis
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Rüppell's WarblerSylvia ruppeli
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Eastern Orphean WarblerSylvia crassirostris
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
Other birds19 species
- CootFulica atra
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- European SwiftApus apus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Porzana parvaPorzana parva
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in April and in September.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan13°/10°98 mm
- Feb13°/10°90 mm
- Mar15°/11°52 mm
- Apr18°/13°27 mm
- May22°/16°17 mm
- Jun26°/20°4 mm
- Jul29°/23°3 mm
- Aug29°/23°5 mm
- Sep26°/21°21 mm
- Oct22°/18°57 mm
- Nov18°/15°83 mm
- Dec15°/12°103 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Agia lake.
Lake in Greece
Agia lake is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Greece.
176 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 9,534 open records.
The most recorded are the Hooded Crow, the Coot and the Barn swallow.
64 species come for the summer, 34 for the winter and 10 only pass through.
6 are threatened worldwide, including Italian Sparrow, Common Pochard and European Turtle Dove.
The most species are recorded in April and in September.

Get there and watch
- Camping Haniacampsite · 6.1 km · 1 within 10 km
- Amalthiaplace to stay · 4.8 km · 408 within 10 km
- Galatásnearest town · 3.7 km in a straight line
- Chania International Airport (CHQ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 21 km in a straight lineCar hire at CHQ airport (Souda)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.

Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 6marked trails within 4 kmRoute 1, Valsamiotis Trail PLA 01, Τhe Hills of Platanias PLA 05 and 3 more
- 2visitor centres within 6 kmTjäreborg/Spies office, Visitors Information Kiosk Platanias
- 4viewpoints within 5 km
- 8restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 1campsites within 10 kmCamping Hania
- 408places to stay within 10 kmAmalthia, Villa Varouxakis, Villa Georgia apts&suites and 405 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- car parks within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Agia lake.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q25164156) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 9,534 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya, Darkskyas, Canyonyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.






