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North Rhine-Westphalia

Red-backed Shrike anius collurio ©Zeynel Cebeci CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Website

North Rhine-Westphalia is the westernmost and in terms of both population and economic output the largest of then 16 Federal States of Germany. It has has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany’s gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km² (13,158 square miles). The state’s area covers a maximum distance of 291 km from north to south, and 266 km from east to west. The total length of the state’s borders is 1,645 km. It shares borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. It also has borders with the German states of Lower Saxony to the North and Northeast, Rhineland-Palatinate to the Southwest and Hesse to the Southeast.

The state is centred on the sprawling Rhine-Ruhr urbanised region, which contains the major cities of Düsseldorf (the capital), Bonn and Cologne (the largest city) as well as the Ruhr Area industrial complex. The Ruhr area consists of, among others, the cities of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen and Oberhausen.

For many people North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous with industrial areas and agglomerating cities. But the largest part of the state is used for agriculture (almost 52%) and there are forests covering 25%. The southern parts of the Teutoburg Forest are located in the northeast. In the southwest, Nordrhein-Westafalen shares in a small part of the Eifel, located on the borders with Belgium and Rheinland-Pfalz.

The Ruhr – Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons

The southeast is occupied by the sparsely populated regions of Sauerland and Siegerland. The northwestern areas of the state are part of the Northern European Lowlands. The most important rivers that run at least partially through North Rhine-Westphalia include the Rhine, Ruhr, Ems, Lippe and Weser. The Pader, which runs only through the city of Paderborn, is considered the shortest river in Germany.

Birding North Rhine-Westphalia

The state contains forests, rivers, meadows and fields, and the state’s multitude of nature parks and reserves and the Eifel National Park cover nearly 40 percent of its overall area. In this green location, you can see both flamingos and storks.

So, North Rhine-Westphalia offers diverse birding, ranging from the wetlands of the Rhine and former gravel pits to the ancient forests of the aforementioned Eifel National Park. Other special species include Little Owl, Black Stork, Middle-spotted Woodpecker and waterfowl – particularly during migration.

Eifel National Park – ©Campinia88 CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Some of the best birding locations and their highlights include:

Eifel National Park is the state’s only national park and is excellent for woodland birds and raptors, including Black Woodpecker, and Red Kite.

Ahsewiesen, which is located near Hamm, is a 370-hectare protected wetland and a prime spot for breeding Northern Lapwing, Bluethroat, Eurasian Curlew, and large wintering flocks of geese.

Schwarzes Wassern is a long-established nature reserve situated in the Rhine sand dunes near Cologne and Wahner Heide is an expansive heathland near Cologne-Bonn Airport. The sites are often very good for Woodlark, Red-backed Shrike and Middle-spotted Woodpecker.

Schwarzes Wassern – ©Mason Richter CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Last but not least, Kuhlenvenn, located in Westphalia, is an area an of re-established moorland, which is vital for migrating and breeding waders and water birds, including Black-tailed Godwit.

Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 398

    (As at June 2026)

    State Bird - Little Owl Athene noctua

Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in North Rhine-Westphalia , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them.

  • eBird

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide.
Observatories

  • Biological Station Krickenberger Lakes

    Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
    Homepage of the Biological Station Krickenbecker Seen, also in Dutch - All Biological stations on the Lower Rhine are linked with one another. This site has topical information on geese numbers and an archive…

  • Biological Station for the Western Ruhr Region

    Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
    Climate-smart rewilding: ecological restoration for climate change mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity support in Europe. 2023-2026. EU Horizon Europe.

  • Wesel District Biological Station

    Observatory WebsiteSatellite View
    The Wesel District Biological Station (BKSW) was founded in 1984 by committed conservationists of the BUND and NABU nature protection organisations. The station's main task is the collection and collation of data on the regional flora and fauna…
Organisations

  • NABU Neuss

    Website
    Useful birder information from the Neuss (near Duesseldorf) area

  • North-Rhine Westphalia Ornithological Association

    Website
    With more than 1,200 members, the Association ensures that the needs of the regional bird world receive the attention they deserve from politicians and society as a whole. In 1998 the Rhine Ornithological Association and the Westphalia Ornithological Association, which had been separated for over 30 years, merged into a single society
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • NP Eifel

    InformationSatellite View
    The Eifel National Park is the 14th national park in Germany and the first in North Rhine-Westphalia. The area covers about 10,700 hectares (26,000 acres), is bordered to the northwest by the Rur Reservoir and includes the neighbouring Urft Reservoir, the former Vogelsang Military Training Area. Amongst the other forms are wildlife in the park are the wildcat, the black stork, the middle spotted woodpecker and the wall lizard which is a rarity in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

  • NR Großes Torfmoor

    InformationSatellite View
    The Großes Torfmoor is a raised bog located in the northeast of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (in the district of Minden-Lübbecke) in Germany south of the Mittelland Canal. It is between the town of Lübbecke and the community of Hille. The bog is a nature reserve and is under special protection from the European Union because of the bird species living there.

  • NR Klingelbachtal

    InformationSatellite View
    The Klingenbachtal Nature Reserve in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consists of 27.44 hectares to the west of Scherfede within municipal area of Warburg located in Höxter. In Klingelbach there are creek-ash-alder woods (Bach-Eschen-Erlenwälder) and Alder swamp forests (Erlen-Bruchwälder). There are several species of plants and animals within the forest which have been found to be vulnerable.

  • NR Tannenbusch Dunes

    InformationSatellite View
    Tannenbusch Dunes is a nature reserve located in the Tannenbusch section of Bonn. The nature reserve consists of inland dunes and measures 6.7ha. The dunes appeared after the last ice age, approximately 10,000 years ago.

  • NR Worringer Bruch

    InformationSatellite View
    The Worringer Bruch is a section of 164 hectares (410 acres) swampy lowlands in the far north of Cologne, Germany. It is approximately 8,000 years old, and is now almost a completely dried up meander part of the Rhine. Worringer Bruch serves as a valuable regional habitat for several endangered plants and animal species.
Sightings, News & Forums

  • Nordrhein-Westfalen Rare Bird Alert

    Sightings
    The report below shows observations of rare birds in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Includes both unreviewed and reviewed/approved observations.

  • Vogelmeldungen vom Niederrhein

    Sightings & News
    Sightings
Trip Reports

  • 2023 [04 April] -

    PDFVReport
    North Holland and North Rhine-Westphalia...
Other Links

  • Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bergischer Ornithologen (ABO)

    Website
    The Bergisch Birdnet is supported by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bergischer Ornithologen (ABO). This is a loose union (no association) of z.Zt. 103 bird friends. We meet twice a year for an exchange.
Photographers & Artists

  • fotolulu

    Photographer
    Wildlife photographer, author & designer

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