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Schleswig-Holstein

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla ©Charles J Sharp Website

Schleswig-Holstein is one of the 16 German federal state, situated at the base of the Jutland peninsula. It is the only one that lies between two seas. Between these runs the Kiel Canal, the busiest man-made waterway in the world. The state is bordered in the north by Denmark and the Baltic; in the east by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Baltic; in the south by Hamburg and Lower Saxony and in the west by the North Sea. It covers a total area of 15,804.30 km2 (6,102.07 square miles) with a population of around three million people.

The Baltic Sea coast in the east of Schleswig-Holstein is marked by bays, fjords, and cliff lines. In the east are rolling hills and many lakes. The longest river besides the Elbe is the Eider. It is the least forested state, with woodland covering just 11% of the land, a third of the national average.

On the other hand, well over 60% of the land is in agricultural use, far more than the average. Grains and root crops, fruit production and a variety of other crops and tree nurseries for part of this, but more land is devoted to animal husbandry. Dairy and beef cattle dominate, but poultry, sheep and pigs are also important. Fishing and shellfish production are also of importance to the state’s economy. Industry is also well developed including 20% of Germany’s ship building being located here.

Sylt – ©Ralf Roletschek CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The German Islands of Sylt, Föhr, Pellworm, Amrum, Heligoland and Fehmarn are part of Schleswig-Holstein, with the latter being the largest and the state’s only Island located on the east coast. Heligoland is Germany’s only high-sea island. The canal linking the Baltic with the North Sea, and its ports at either end are significant contributors to the state’s economy.

Birding Schleswig-Holstein

The marshlands, formed of marine sediments laid down in the Ice Age, lie along the western mainland coast and the Wadden Sea as well as the North Frisian Islands (which, together, form the Nationalpark Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer). They are characterised by heavy, fertile soils used for agriculture bun good habitat for birds where it has not been overly ‘improved’. Moving in land is the Geest, a band of light, sandy soil, interspersed with patches of moorland that forms a central spine between the marshlands and the hills. It is composed of landscapes of different ages and diverse origins, characterised by poor soils, which also offer wildlife habitats. In the west is the High Geest formed of Saalian moraines; in the east is the flat Low Geest deriving from sandy fluvioglacial deposits of the Weichselian period. The Low Geest has extensive areas of bog with breeding waders and waterfowl.

Pond on the Stör River – ©Nightflyer (talk) 21:06, 30 October 2016 (UTC), CC BY 4.0  via Wikimedia Commons

The hill country along the Baltic coast in the east was formed by the glaciers that covered Schleswig-Holstein during the last European Ice Age, which left behind a diverse young moraine landscape. The hills meet the Baltic at a coast of bays and fjords.

A characteristic feature of the Schleswig-Holstein landscape are the Knicks, hedge and earth bank combinations intended to mark the boundaries between fields. These provide a retreat for insects and birds and offer protection against wind and erosion. For this reason, the Knicks are identified as a protected biotope under Schleswig-Holstein’s nature conservation legislation.

Wattenmeer – ©Naturliebhaberin CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The state also has some 300 lakes, covering 28,000 hectares, almost 2% of the total surface area of the Land. They are home to very many animal and plant species. Endangered species such as the White-tailed Eagle have now re-established themselves here.

Schleswig-Holstein has 21,700 km of rivers and streams – something like half the circumference of the earth! The longest rivers are the Eider at 180 km; the Trave at 112 km and the Stör at 83 km. They provide habitats for otter and riverine bird species like Kingfishers.

Contributors

  • David Conlin

Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 504

    (As at June 2026)
Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Schleswig-Holstein , 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

  • Heligoland Bird Observatory

    WebsiteSatellite View
    The Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (OAG) Helgoland e.V. (Heligoland Ornithological Work Group) was founded on 9th March 1991 with the aim of supporting research on birds on Heligoland. The number of the members has recently risen to over 500. The main task of the OAG is to publish the annual Bird Report for the island, in cooperation with the Institut für Vogelforschung "Vogelwarte Helgoland". All OAG members receive a copy of the Report free of charge…
Organisations

  • NABU Schleswig-Holstein

    Website
    Founded in 1899, NABU (Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union), is one of the oldest and largest environment associations in Germany. The association encompasses more than 620,000 members and sponsors, who commit themselves to the conservation of threatened habitats, flora and fauna, to climate protection and energy policy.

  • Regional Owl Conservation Group - Schleswig-Holstein

    Website
    The association was founded in 1981 to protect our native owls. With the support of the Schleswig-Holstein government, it carries out conservation programs for a number of species of owls in the country.
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • BS Lebrade Pond

    InformationSatellite View
    The Lebrade Pond Bird Sanctuary is a nature reserve in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein, that lies within the district of Plön, about 7 kilometres north of the town of Plön. The reserve is part of the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park and covers an area of about 144 hectares (360 acres). In the area of the pond and succession growth there are in places rare breeding birds like the gadwall, mute swan and grebe. In addition, protected amphibians like the moor frog and the European fire-bellied toad are also found here.

  • BiR Delver Koog

    InformationSatellite View
    The Delver Koog is a koog, about 1,200 hectares in area, that is dominated by agricultural grassland and through which one of the large bends of the River Eider meanders. It contains one of the ten nature reserves in the Eider-Treene Depression in the western part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Since 1976, an area of 190.1 hectares has been protected as a nature reserve. The nature reserve is distinguished by areas of fen with reed beds and meadows of large and small sedge. The many, small, open waterbodies with an extensive irrigation ditch system form an important habitat, especially for birds. It is one of the most important stopover sites for the hen harrier, as well as waders, gulls and wet meadow birds which rest here during their migration. In addition, there are reed buntings, Savi's warbler, various reed warblers, great bitterns and marsh harriers.

  • BiR Süderoog

    InformationSatellite View
    It is one of the Halligen, a group of islands in the North Frisian Wadden Sea, off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein in north Germany. It belongs administratively to the parish of Pellworm and is a bird reserve.

  • BiR Wallnau Waterbird Reserve

    InformationSatellite View
    The water bird reservation Wallnau which is located on the Fehmarn peninsula ranks among the most valuable and most interesting areas of the Baltic.. The mosaic of different habitats have been managed for many years. Together with East Holstein and Schleswig-Holstein branches the NABU set themselves the aim of protecting meadows and small woods and special habitats for animals and plants.

  • NP Wadden Sea

    InformationSatellite View
    The Wadden Sea National Parks in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands are located along the German Bight of the North Sea. In Germany and Denmark they also mark the area of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wadden Sea.

  • NR Dassower See

    InformationSatellite View
    As home to approximately 30 kinds of duck, the Dassower See is one of the largest bird reserves in Germany. The lake provides refuge and is also an important migration and wintering area for Nordic water fowl that shelter on its two islands of grass and reeds.

  • NR Dithmarscher Eiderwatt

    InformationSatellite View
    The Dithmarscher Eiderwatt, officially the Dithmarscher Eidervorland mit Watt ("Dittmarschen Eider Foreland and Watt"), is a nature reserve in the districts of Dithmarschen and Nordfriesland in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The nature reserve enables the retention of a wet area in the tidal saltwaters and brackish waters of the Eider estuary and its mudflat and foreland areas and the conservation of animal and plant habitats typical of such areas, particularly for the wading and water birds that breed here or pass through on migration as well as the invertebrates occurring here. 2006 a total of 35 species (2165 pairs) breed in the reserve.

  • NR Einfelder See

    InformationSatellite View
    Einfelder See is a lake in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 26.79 m, its surface area is 1.78 km². It is located in the northern suburb of Neumünster and in the Kreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde. The lake is located on a water divide of the rivers Stör and Eider.

  • NR Großer Plöner See

    InformationSatellite View
    It is the largest lake (30 km²) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the town of Plön. Its main tributary, as well as its main outflow, is the River Schwentine.

  • NR Lanker See

    InformationSatellite View
    The Lanker See has wealth of small bays. Almost the entire western area from the lakeshore to the tracks of the Preetz-Ascheberg railway line are a nature reserve.

  • NR Norderoog

    InformationSatellite View
    It is only temporarily inhabited by a bird warden from March to October. The refuge hut at the northeastern end is called Jens Wand Hütte, which is built on stilts to protect it from flooding. Norderoog is a resting and hatching place for a number of rare species of marine birds. Notably the Sandwich tern (Sterna sandvicensis), common tern (Sterna hirundo) and Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) use to breed on Norderoog.[2] For a long time, Norderoog was the Eurasian oystercatcher's (Haematopus ostralegus) most densely populated breeding colony in the German Bight.

  • NR Schwentine Oxbow Lake

    InformationSatellite View
    It received this conservation status because the waterbody has remained close to its natural state due to its steep river banks and is a habitat for a range of rare plants and animals. It covers an area of 19 hectares (47 acres). In addition to the section of river it includes an oxbow lake, a tributary, hedgerows, wooded river banks and slopes, rich in herbs, and small ponds. Native bird species include the kingfisher, grey wagtail and white-throated dipper. The first two breed in the nature reserve, whilst the dipper only rests and overwinters. In the ponds amongst the grasslands there are amphibians like the common toad, smooth newt, water frog, common frog and moor frog as well as grass snakes. The hedgerows are used by many animals including the red-backed shrike, great spotted woodpecker and tawny owl.

  • NR Südfall

    InformationSatellite View
    Südfall is a small island in the Wadden Sea off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, one of the ten German Hallig islands. It has a permanent population of two people. It covers an area of 0.56 square kilometres (0.22 sq mi).

  • NR Tönsheide Forest

    InformationSatellite View
    The nature reserve has an area of 67 hectares (170 acres) and lies east of Aukrug specialist hospital. Its consists of large areas of near-natural woodland with scattered with areas of heath. In the woods are the source area and upper reaches of the Sellbek.
Sightings, News & Forums

  • Schleswig-Holstein Rare Bird Alert

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

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