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Cyprus Cyprus Ramsar wetland

Larnaca Salt Lake

244 bird species recorded; the most from March to April.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec201at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

Qasinka · CC0

This month here

124 species in January.

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.

Greater Flamingo
Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseusWinter visitorEl Golli Mohamed · CC BY-SA 4.0
Black-headed Gull
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorDiliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
European Stonechat
European StonechatSaxicola rubicolaWinter visitorAlun Williams333 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Shelduck
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaWinter visitorAiwok · CC BY-SA 3.0
Redshank
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Western Marsh Harrier
Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosusWinter visitorPierre-Marie Epiney · CC BY-SA 2.0
White Wagtail
White WagtailMotacilla albaWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Greater White-fronted Goose
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorFrank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Teal
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorKoshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India · CC BY 2.0
Eared Grebe
Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollisWinter visitorOriginal: Stephan Sprinz ; this edit: MPF · CC BY 4.0
Great Cormorant
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorJJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Armenian Gull
Armenian GullLarus armenicusWinter visitorXelgen · CC BY-SA 3.0
Northern Shoveler
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataResidentAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Pontic gull
Pontic gullLarus cachinnansWinter visitorMarek Szczepanek · CC BY-SA 3.0
Kentish Plover
Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinusSummer visitorZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Meadow Pipit
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensisWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Mallard
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentTetiana.iefimenko · CC BY 4.0
Common Chiffchaff
Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaWinter visitorAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Skylark
SkylarkAlauda arvensisWinter visitorEl Golli Mohamed · CC BY-SA 4.0
Black Redstart
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosWinter visitorTisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Wigeon
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorПочта России · Public domain
Hooded Crow
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommonists · CC BY-SA 4.0
Crested lark
Crested larkGalerida cristataResidentZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

244 species, counted.

83out of 100

Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).

  • 244Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 144Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 30,285Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 18Raptors
  • 4Owls
  • 43Waders
  • 21Gulls & seabirds
  • 20Ducks & geese
  • 15Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 3Storks & cranes
  • 1Flamingos
  • 93Songbirds
  • 26Other 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 244 species.

By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.

Raptors18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
  • Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
  • Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
  • Common BuzzardButeo buteo
  • Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
  • Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
  • Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
  • Long-legged BuzzardButeo rufinus
  • Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
  • European HobbyFalco subbuteo
  • Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
  • OspreyPandion haliaetus
  • Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
  • Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
  • MerlinFalco columbarius
  • European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
  • Black KiteMilvus migrans
  • Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Long-eared OwlAsio otus
  • Little OwlAthene noctua
  • Western Barn OwlTyto alba
  • Otus cypriusOtus cyprius
Waders43 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Spur-winged LapwingVanellus spinosus
  • Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
  • Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
  • RuffCalidris pugnax
  • Little StintCalidris minuta
  • RedshankTringa totanus
  • Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
  • DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
  • Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
  • Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
  • Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
  • Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
  • Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
  • Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
  • Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
  • Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
  • Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
  • Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
  • Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
  • European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
  • Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
  • Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
  • SanderlingCalidris alba
  • Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
  • Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
  • Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
  • Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
  • Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
  • Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
  • Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
  • Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
  • Caspian PloverCharadrius asiaticus
  • Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
  • Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
  • Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
  • Cream-coloured CourserCursorius cursor
  • Eurasian DotterelCharadrius morinellus
  • Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
  • Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
  • Great SnipeGallinago mediaNT
  • Black-winged PratincoleGlareola nordmanniNT
  • Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
  • Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
Gulls & seabirds21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
  • Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
  • Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
  • Little TernSternula albifrons
  • Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
  • Armenian GullLarus armenicus
  • Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
  • Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
  • Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
  • White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
  • Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
  • Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
  • Common TernSterna hirundo
  • Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
  • Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
  • Black TernChlidonias niger
  • Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
  • Common GullLarus canus
  • Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
  • Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
  • Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
Ducks & geese20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • MallardAnas platyrhynchos
  • Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
  • Eurasian TealAnas crecca
  • GarganeySpatula querquedula
  • Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
  • Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
  • Northern PintailAnas acuta
  • Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
  • Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
  • Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
  • Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
  • GadwallMareca strepera
  • Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
  • Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
  • Greylag GooseAnser anser
  • Mute SwanCygnus olor
  • Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisVU
  • White-headed duckOxyura leucocephala
  • Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
  • Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
  • Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
  • Grey HeronArdea cinerea
  • Little EgretEgretta garzetta
  • Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
  • Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
  • Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
  • Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
  • Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
  • Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
  • Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
  • Purple heronArdea purpurea
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
  • ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Common CraneGrus grus
  • White StorkCiconia ciconia
  • Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds93 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • House SparrowPasser domesticus
  • Crested larkGalerida cristata
  • White WagtailMotacilla alba
  • Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
  • Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
  • Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
  • European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
  • Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
  • Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
  • Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
  • Great titParus major
  • Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
  • Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
  • European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
  • Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
  • Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
  • Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
  • Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
  • Eurasian MagpiePica pica
  • European GreenfinchChloris chloris
  • BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
  • SkylarkAlauda arvensis
  • Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
  • Sand MartinRiparia riparia
  • Isabelline wheatearOenanthe isabellina
  • Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
  • Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
  • Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
  • European RobinErithacus rubecula
  • Western JackdawColoeus monedula
  • Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
  • Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
  • Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
  • Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
  • Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
  • Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
  • Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
  • WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
  • Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
  • BluethroatLuscinia svecica
  • Rüppell's WarblerSylvia ruppeli
  • Masked ShrikeLanius nubicus
  • Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
  • WhitethroatSylvia communis
  • Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
  • Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
  • Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
  • Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
  • Cyprus WheatearOenanthe cypriaca
  • Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
  • European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
  • Collared FlycatcherFicedula albicollis
  • Eastern Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus orientalis
  • Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
  • Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
  • Cretzschmar's BuntingEmberiza caesia
  • Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
  • Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
  • Carrion CrowCorvus corone
  • Cyprus WarblerSylvia melanothorax
  • Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
  • Eastern Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillans
  • Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
  • Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
  • European SerinSerinus serinus
  • Eastern Orphean WarblerSylvia crassirostris
  • Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
  • Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
  • Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
  • Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
  • Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
  • Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
  • Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
  • WoodlarkLullula arborea
  • Bimaculated LarkMelanocorypha bimaculata
  • Half-collared FlycatcherFicedula semitorquata
  • Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
  • Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
  • Garden WarblerSylvia borin
  • Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
  • Coal TitPeriparus ater
  • Lesser Short-toed LarkCalandrella rufescens
  • Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
  • Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
  • Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
  • Desert wheatearOenanthe deserti
  • Black-headed buntingEmberiza melanocephala
  • Barred WarblerSylvia nisoria
  • Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
  • Mourning WheatearOenanthe lugens
  • Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
Other birds26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
  • European SwiftApus apus
  • CootFulica atra
  • Black FrancolinFrancolinus francolinus
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
  • Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
  • Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
  • Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
  • Chukar PartridgeAlectoris chukar
  • Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
  • Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
  • European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
  • Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
  • Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
  • Common CuckooCuculus canorus
  • European RollerCoracias garrulus
  • Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
  • WryneckJynx torquilla
  • European Water RailRallus aquaticus
  • Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
  • Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
  • Stock DoveColumba oenas
  • Blue-cheeked Bee-eaterMerops persicus
  • Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
  • European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus

Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.

When to go

The most species from March to April.

Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.

  1. Jan12416°/12°72 mm
  2. Feb12916°/12°42 mm
  3. Mar19218°/13°23 mm
  4. Apr20122°/15°13 mm
  5. May14826°/19°9 mm
  6. Jun9330°/24°2 mm
  7. Jul8933°/27°1 mm
  8. Aug12733°/27°1 mm
  9. Sep15631°/25°6 mm
  10. Oct15027°/22°15 mm
  11. Nov14122°/18°30 mm
  12. Dec13117°/14°71 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Larnaca Salt Lake.

Lake in Cyprus

Larnaca Salt Lake is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Cyprus.

244 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 30,285 open records.

The most recorded are the Greater Flamingo, the Hooded Crow and the Barn swallow.

63 species come for the summer, 66 for the winter and 15 only pass through.

8 are threatened worldwide, including Curlew Sandpiper, Common Pochard and European Turtle Dove.

The most species are recorded from March to April.

2022 03 Larnaca Salt Lake 3
Qasinka · CC0

Get there and watch

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.

Larnaca Salt Lake seen from above (Sentinel-2)
Seen from above: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 6 × 6 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around, in OpenStreetMap

  • 2bird hides within 6 km
  • 2marked trails within 4 kmEuropean Walking Route E4, Cyprus, Main Route, Larnaca Cultural Walk
  • 1visitor centres within 6 kmCyprus Tourism Organization
  • 4viewpoints within 5 kmLarnaca Marina, Salt Lake Viewpoint and 2 more
  • 300car parks within 3 km
  • 206restaurants and cafés within 3 km
  • 3campsites within 10 km
  • 136places to stay within 10 kmLarco Hotel, Cactus Hotel, Alkisti City Hotel and 133 more
  • observation towers within 6 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 Larnaca Salt Lake.

The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.

Peakyas35 mountains within 25 km
Profali · 14 kmChchinnomoutti · 14 kmStavrovouni Monastery · 17 kmAetomoutti · 17 kmVyzakeri · 18 kmPikrasidi · 19 kmLariona · 20 kmKaris · 21 km

Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.

Photographs

The place, as people saw it.

LarnacaSaltLake
Aantoniou at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
A@a Larnaca salt-lake5 - panoramio
An. Antoniou · CC BY-SA 3.0
A@a salt lake larnaca cy - panoramio (7)
An. Antoniou · CC BY-SA 3.0

Other places nearby.

Larnaca Salt Lake

Cyprus

  • 83Birdyas Score
  • 244Species
  • 144Migrants
  • 8Threatened

Göksu Delta

Turkey · 159 km

  • 90Birdyas Score
  • 330Species
  • 218Migrants
  • 10Threatened

See the guide

River Göksu

Turkey · 160 km

  • 83Birdyas Score
  • 248Species
  • 156Migrants
  • 8Threatened

See the guide

Akyatan Lagoon

Turkey · 243 km

  • 80Birdyas Score
  • 195Species
  • 119Migrants
  • 7Threatened

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name and typeWikidata (Q2915622) · CC0
Birds30,285 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
See these recordsgbif.org
SpeciesGBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons
AltitudeCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Temperature and rainNASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2)
What is around© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Sister atlasesPeakyas, Islandyas, Coastya

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.