Belgium Ramsar wetland
Zwin
317 bird species recorded; the most from April to May and from September to October.
Marc Ryckaert ( MJJR ) · CC BY 3.0
This month here
192 species in January.224 species in February.189 species in March.237 species in April.240 species in May.196 species in June.196 species in July.226 species in August.243 species in September.247 species in October.214 species in November.195 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
317 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).
- 317Speciesrecorded more than once
- 173Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 13ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 240,571Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 20Raptors
- 6Owls
- 43Waders
- 39Gulls & seabirds
- 45Ducks & geese
- 19Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 115Songbirds
- 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 317 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
Waders43 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Eurasian DotterelCharadrius morinellus
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Great SnipeGallinago mediaNT
Gulls & seabirds39 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Common GullLarus canus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinus
- FulmarFulmarus glacialis
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Long-tailed SkuaStercorarius longicaudus
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Little AukAlle alle
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus
Ducks & geese45 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
- Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- SmewMergellus albellus
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisVU
- Green-winged tealAnas carolinensis
- Velvet scoterMelanitta fuscaVU
- Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- King EiderSomateria spectabilis
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Lesser white-fronted gooseAnser erythropusVU
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Taiga Bean GooseAnser fabalis
- White-cheeked PintailAnas bahamensis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
Herons, ibises & grebes19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
- African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Common CraneGrus grus
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds115 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Great titParus major
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- European Rock PipitAnthus petrosus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- TwiteLinaria flavirostris
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Ring OuzelTurdus torquatus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Lanius schachLanius schach
- Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Desert wheatearOenanthe deserti
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- Barred WarblerSylvia nisoria
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Willow TitPoecile montanus
- Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- Rustic BuntingEmberiza rusticaNT
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- Dusky warblerPhylloscopus fuscatus
- Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Little BuntingEmberiza pusilla
- Hume’s leaf-warblerPhylloscopus humei
- Black-faced buntingEmberiza spodocephala
- Pallas's Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus proregulus
- Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
Other birds26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- CootFulica atra
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- European SwiftApus apus
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Black WoodpeckerDryocopus martius
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Corncrake, corn crakeCrex crex
- Middle Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes medius
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 April to May and from September to October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan7°/4°72 mm
- Feb6°/4°62 mm
- Mar8°/5°54 mm
- Apr11°/7°38 mm
- May14°/11°53 mm
- Jun17°/14°59 mm
- Jul19°/16°72 mm
- Aug20°/17°81 mm
- Sep18°/15°64 mm
- Oct15°/12°80 mm
- Nov11°/8°85 mm
- Dec8°/6°86 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Zwin.
North Sea inlet at the border of Belgium and the Netherlands
Zwin is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Belgium.
317 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 240,571 open records.
The most recorded are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Eurasian Oystercatcher and the White Stork.
88 species come for the summer, 79 for the winter and 6 only pass through.
13 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, European Turtle Dove and Common Pochard.
The most species are recorded from April to May and from September to October.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- De Coutercampsite · 1.9 km · 48 within 10 km
- Hotel Noordzeeplace to stay · 1.3 km · 1,582 within 10 km
- Knokkenearest town · 5.9 km in a straight line
- Ostend-Bruges International Airport (OST)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 39 km in a straight lineCar hire at LIL airport (Lesquin)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
- 4bird hides within 6 kmHet Kijkcentrum, Steigerhut, Kijkhut and 1 more
- 1observation towers within 6 kmOoievaarstoren
- 64marked trails within 4 kmWallenroute, GR 129 Dwars door België | Vlaanderen and 62 more
- 3visitor centres within 6 kmVVV, Receptie Beach Resort Nieuwvliet-Bad
- 11viewpoints within 5 km
- 141car parks within 3 km
- 32restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 48campsites within 10 kmDe Couter, Minicamping De Putter, 't Hof Welkom and 45 more
- 1,582places to stay within 10 kmHotel Noordzee, De Wielingen, Reception Noordzee Résidence Cadzand and 1,579 more
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Zwin.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas1 mountains within 25 kmOedelemberg · 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.
Other places nearby.
Zwin
Belgium
- 89Birdyas Score
- 317Species
- 173Migrants
- 13Threatened
De Zoom - Kalmthoutse Heide
Belgium · 72 km
- 88Birdyas Score
- 257Species
- 147Migrants
- 11Threatened
Marais Audomarois biosphere reserve
France · 102 km
- 77Birdyas Score
- 226Species
- 116Migrants
- 5Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q36856) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 240,571 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, 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.
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