Bulgaria Ramsar wetland
Durankulak lake
295 bird species recorded; the most in May and in September.
Original uploader was Svilen Enev at bg.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
137 species in January.160 species in February.140 species in March.199 species in April.243 species in May.187 species in June.149 species in July.188 species in August.224 species in September.182 species in October.143 species in November.140 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.
VU
VU
VUVU
VU
VU
NT
NT
VU
VU
NT
VU
VU
VU
NT
VU
VU
VUVU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
295 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).
- 295Speciesrecorded more than once
- 200Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 12ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 35,042Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 24Raptors
- 6Owls
- 38Waders
- 22Gulls & seabirds
- 32Ducks & geese
- 21Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 114Songbirds
- 34Other 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 295 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
- Long-legged BuzzardButeo rufinus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Lesser spotted eagleAquila pomarina
- Eastern Imperial EagleAquila heliacaVU
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
Waders38 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
- Great SnipeGallinago mediaNT
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- White-tailed LapwingVanellus leucurus
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Black-winged PratincoleGlareola nordmanniNT
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
Gulls & seabirds22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Common GullLarus canus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanVU
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
Ducks & geese32 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisVU
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- GadwallMareca strepera
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- SmewMergellus albellus
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- White-headed duckOxyura leucocephala
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Lesser white-fronted gooseAnser erythropusVU
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Taiga Bean GooseAnser fabalis
- Velvet scoterMelanitta fuscaVU
Herons, ibises & grebes21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Microcarbo pygmaeusMicrocarbo pygmaeus
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Dalmatian PelicanPelecanus crispusNT
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
- Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little BitternIxobrychus minutus
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Common CraneGrus grus
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds114 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Great titParus major
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Paddyfield WarblerAcrocephalus agricola
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Red-breasted flycatcherFicedula parva
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Barred WarblerSylvia nisoria
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Pied WheatearOenanthe pleschanka
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- Black-headed buntingEmberiza melanocephala
- Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
- Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
- Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- Eurasian River WarblerLocustella fluviatilis
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
- Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Collared FlycatcherFicedula albicollis
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Isabelline wheatearOenanthe isabellina
- Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- Sombre TitPoecile lugubris
- Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinus
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Half-collared FlycatcherFicedula semitorquata
- Olive-tree WarblerHippolais olivetorum
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Masked ShrikeLanius nubicus
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Booted WarblerIduna caligata
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Dusky warblerPhylloscopus fuscatus
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- Ring OuzelTurdus torquatus
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
Other birds34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- CootFulica atra
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Syrian WoodpeckerDendrocopos syriacus
- European SwiftApus apus
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Middle Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes medius
- Porzana parvaPorzana parva
- Corncrake, corn crakeCrex crex
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Great bustardOtis tarda
- Black WoodpeckerDryocopus martius
- Little BustardTetrax tetraxNT
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
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 May and in September.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan6°/3°50 mm
- Feb6°/3°36 mm
- Mar9°/5°39 mm
- Apr12°/8°28 mm
- May18°/14°37 mm
- Jun23°/20°46 mm
- Jul26°/22°43 mm
- Aug26°/23°29 mm
- Sep22°/19°53 mm
- Oct17°/14°58 mm
- Nov12°/10°44 mm
- Dec8°/5°52 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Durankulak lake.
Lake in Bulgaria
Durankulak lake is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Bulgaria.
295 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 35,042 open records.
The most recorded are the Great Cormorant, the Western Marsh Harrier and the Yellow-legged Gull.
117 species come for the summer, 73 for the winter and 10 only pass through.
12 are threatened worldwide, including European Turtle Dove, Common Pochard and Red-breasted Goose.
The most species are recorded in May and in September.
Get there and watch
- Космосcampsite · 3.9 km · 21 within 10 km
- Къща за гости Бианаplace to stay · 2.7 km · 89 within 10 km
- Limanunearest town · 14 km in a straight line
- Varna Airport (VAR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 75 km in a straight lineCar hire at VAR airport (Varna)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
- 1visitor centres within 6 km
- 2car parks within 3 km
- 3restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 21campsites within 10 kmКосмос, loc de cort, Кравуна and 18 more
- 89places to stay within 10 kmКъща за гости Биана, Крапец Холидей, Морски рай and 86 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- viewpoints within 5 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 Durankulak lake.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Lakeyas3 lakes within 15 kmDurankulak lake1.9 km² · 1.5 kmOrlovo blato0.2 km² · 2.6 kmLake Shabla0.5 km² · 10 km
Cavernyas1 caves within 20 kmMovile Cave · 18 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Durankulak lake
Bulgaria
- 89Birdyas Score
- 295Species
- 200Migrants
- 12Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q12279229) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 35,042 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 | Lakeyas, Darkskyas, Cavernyas |
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.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit