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Slovenia Slovenia Special Protection Area for birds

Škocjanski zatok

220 bird species recorded; the most in April.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec177at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

AnaJur · CC BY-SA 3.0

This month here

114 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.

Eurasian Chaffinch
Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebsWinter visitorGilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium · CC BY-SA 2.0
Eared Grebe
Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollisWinter visitorOriginal: Stephan Sprinz ; this edit: MPF · CC BY 4.0
Black-headed Gull
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentDiliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
European Robin
European RobinErithacus rubeculaWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Teal
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorKoshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-legged Gull
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentJörg Hempel · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Mallard
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentTetiana.iefimenko · CC BY 4.0
Northern Shoveler
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Hooded Crow
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommonists · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Wigeon
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorПочта России · Public domain
Common Kingfisher
Common KingfisherAlcedo atthisWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Great Crested Grebe
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusResidentGrahamBreeze · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mute Swan
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentGeni · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian CurlewNT
Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataResidentAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Little Egret
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentBirdman1 · CC BY 2.5
Grey Heron
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentVassilios Vescoukis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian MagpiePica picaResidentAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Little Grebe
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisResidentZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Great Cormorant
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentJJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Common Reed Bunting
Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclusWinter visitorMPF · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gadwall
GadwallMareca streperaWinter visitorUnknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0
Great tit
Great titParus majorResidentPeterRohrbeck · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Blue Tit
Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusResidentSławek Staszczuk · CC BY-SA 3.0
Eurasian Wren
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesWinter visitorAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

220 species, counted.

81out 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).

  • 220Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 138Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 56,768Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 13Raptors
  • 1Owls
  • 29Waders
  • 18Gulls & seabirds
  • 22Ducks & geese
  • 19Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 3Storks & cranes
  • 1Flamingos
  • 89Songbirds
  • 25Other 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 220 species.

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

Raptors13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Common BuzzardButeo buteo
  • Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
  • Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
  • OspreyPandion haliaetus
  • European HobbyFalco subbuteo
  • Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
  • Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
  • European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
  • Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
  • Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
  • Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
  • Black KiteMilvus migrans
  • MerlinFalco columbarius
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
Waders29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
  • Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
  • Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
  • Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
  • Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
  • RedshankTringa totanus
  • Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
  • RuffCalidris pugnax
  • Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
  • Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
  • DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
  • Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
  • Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
  • Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
  • Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
  • Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
  • Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
  • European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
  • Grey-headed LapwingVanellus cinereus
  • Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
  • Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
  • Little StintCalidris minuta
  • Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
  • Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
  • Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
  • Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
  • Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
  • Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
  • SanderlingCalidris alba
Gulls & seabirds18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
  • Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
  • Common TernSterna hirundo
  • Little TernSternula albifrons
  • Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
  • Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
  • Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
  • Black TernChlidonias niger
  • Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
  • Common GullLarus canus
  • Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
  • White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
  • Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
  • Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
  • Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
  • Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanVU
  • Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
  • Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
Ducks & geese22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • MallardAnas platyrhynchos
  • Mute SwanCygnus olor
  • Eurasian TealAnas crecca
  • Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
  • Greylag GooseAnser anser
  • Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
  • Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
  • GadwallMareca strepera
  • Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
  • GarganeySpatula querquedula
  • Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
  • Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
  • Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
  • Northern PintailAnas acuta
  • Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
  • Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
  • Greater ScaupAythya marila
  • Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
  • GoosanderMergus merganser
  • Cairina moschataCairina moschata
  • Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
  • Velvet scoterMelanitta fuscaVU
Herons, ibises & grebes19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Little EgretEgretta garzetta
  • Grey HeronArdea cinerea
  • Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
  • Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
  • Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Microcarbo pygmaeusMicrocarbo pygmaeus
  • Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
  • Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
  • ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
  • Purple heronArdea purpurea
  • African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
  • Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
  • Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
  • Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
  • Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
  • Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
  • Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
  • Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Common CraneGrus grus
  • White StorkCiconia ciconia
  • Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds89 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eurasian MagpiePica pica
  • Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
  • Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
  • Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
  • House SparrowPasser domesticus
  • Great titParus major
  • Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
  • Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
  • European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
  • European RobinErithacus rubecula
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • White WagtailMotacilla alba
  • Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
  • BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
  • Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
  • Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
  • European GreenfinchChloris chloris
  • Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
  • Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
  • Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
  • Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
  • Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
  • Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
  • European SerinSerinus serinus
  • Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
  • Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
  • Western JackdawColoeus monedula
  • HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
  • Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
  • Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
  • Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
  • Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
  • WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
  • European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
  • Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
  • Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
  • Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
  • DunnockPrunella modularis
  • Sand MartinRiparia riparia
  • Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
  • Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
  • Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
  • GoldcrestRegulus regulus
  • Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
  • Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
  • Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
  • Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
  • Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
  • Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
  • Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
  • Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
  • BluethroatLuscinia svecica
  • Coal TitPeriparus ater
  • Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
  • Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
  • Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
  • European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
  • SkylarkAlauda arvensis
  • Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
  • Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
  • WhitethroatSylvia communis
  • Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
  • Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
  • Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
  • Northern RavenCorvus corax
  • Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
  • Marsh TitPoecile palustris
  • Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
  • Italian SparrowPasser italiaeVU
  • YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
  • Garden WarblerSylvia borin
  • BramblingFringilla montifringilla
  • Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
  • Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
  • WoodlarkLullula arborea
  • Carrion CrowCorvus corone
  • FieldfareTurdus pilaris
  • Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
  • Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
  • Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
  • Crested larkGalerida cristata
  • Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
  • Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
  • Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
  • Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
  • BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
  • Eastern Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillans
  • Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
  • Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
Other birds25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • CootFulica atra
  • Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
  • Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
  • Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
  • Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • European Water RailRallus aquaticus
  • European SwiftApus apus
  • Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
  • Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
  • WryneckJynx torquilla
  • Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
  • Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
  • Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
  • European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
  • Porzana parvaPorzana parva
  • Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
  • Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
  • Common CuckooCuculus canorus
  • Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
  • Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
  • Black WoodpeckerDryocopus martius
  • Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
  • Corncrake, corn crakeCrex crex
  • 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 in April.

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

  1. Jan1146°/1°68 mm
  2. Feb1257°/1°82 mm
  3. Mar15311°/4°72 mm
  4. Apr17716°/8°69 mm
  5. May15220°/13°89 mm
  6. Jun11524°/17°74 mm
  7. Jul12127°/20°60 mm
  8. Aug15527°/19°79 mm
  9. Sep14922°/15°112 mm
  10. Oct15017°/11°102 mm
  11. Nov11112°/7°123 mm
  12. Dec1168°/2°96 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Škocjanski zatok.

Special Protection Area in Slovenia

Škocjanski zatok is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Slovenia.

220 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 56,768 open records.

The most recorded are the Yellow-legged Gull, the Mallard and the Little Egret.

75 species come for the summer, 58 for the winter and 5 only pass through.

8 are threatened worldwide, including Common Pochard, Grey Plover and Horned Grebe.

The most species are recorded in April.

Škocjanski zatok 04
AnaJur · CC BY-SA 3.0

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.

Škocjanski zatok 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

  • 1bird hides within 6 km
  • 14marked trails within 4 kmEuropean long distance path E6 - part Slovenia, Slovenska planinska pot, European long distance path E12 - part Slovenia and 11 more
  • 4visitor centres within 6 kmCenter za obiskovalce in osrednja opazovalnica Škocjanski zatok, Tourist information center, TIC Ankaran and 1 more
  • 8viewpoints within 5 kmBrige - Ponte in legno e plastica riciclata sul Torrente Ospo, Zvonik (Mestni stolp) / Il campanile and 6 more
  • 289car parks within 3 km
  • 70restaurants and cafés within 3 km
  • 19campsites within 10 kmAvtokamp Jadranka, Eko kamp Supot, PZA Izola - Argo and 16 more
  • 133places to stay within 10 kmHotel Pristan, Museum Hostel, Histria and 130 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 Škocjanski zatok.

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

Peakyas47 mountains within 25 km
Monte Calvo454 m · 14 kmMonte Cocusso672 m · 16 kmRožič819 m · 16 kmKojnik802 m · 16 kmSlavnik1,028 m · 17 kmMonte Orsaro472 m · 20 kmMonte Lanaro544 m · 22 kmMonte San Leonardo399 m · 24 km
Cavernyas6 caves within 20 km
Osp Cave · 9.1 kmHoly Cave · 10 kmFoiba of Basovizza228 m · 13 kmAbisso di Trebiciano · 17 kmGrotta Gigante · 18 kmVilenica Cave · 19 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.

Other places nearby.

Škocjanski zatok

Slovenia

  • 81Birdyas Score
  • 220Species
  • 138Migrants
  • 8Threatened

Sečovlje Saltworks

Slovenia · 14 km

  • 88Birdyas Score
  • 265Species
  • 173Migrants
  • 12Threatened

See the guide

Valle Cavanata Nature Reserve

Italy · 28 km

  • 87Birdyas Score
  • 233Species
  • 141Migrants
  • 13Threatened

See the guide

Lake Cerknica

Slovenia · 54 km

  • 77Birdyas Score
  • 227Species
  • 141Migrants
  • 5Threatened

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name and typeWikidata (Q115519792) · CC0
Birds56,768 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, Coastya, 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.