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Kingdom of Belgium

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes ©John Buckingham Website

sbbot.org.ukBelgium is a country in Northwestern Europe and member of the European Union. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. It covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 square miles) and has a population of about eleven and three-quarters million,  making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe. Belgium is part of an area known as the Low Countries, historically a somewhat larger region than the Benelux group of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital and largest metropolitan region with over two million inhabitants is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven. The country has three official languages; 50% of people speak Dutch, 40% French and 1% German.

Belgium has three main geographical regions; the coastal plain in the northwest and the central plateau both belong to the Anglo-Belgian Basin, and the Ardennes uplands in the southeast to the Hercynian orogenic belt. The Paris Basin reaches a small fourth area at Belgium’s southernmost tip, Belgian Lorraine.

Eifel Nature Park – ©Aline, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Further inland lies a smooth, slowly rising landscape irrigated by numerous waterways, with fertile valleys and the northeastern sandy plain of the Campine. The thickly forested hills and plateaus of the Ardennes are more rugged and rocky with caves and small gorges. Extending westward into France, this area is eastwardly connected to the Eifel in Germany by the High Fens plateau, on which the Signal de Botrange forms the country’s highest point at 2,277 feet.

The climate is maritime temperate with significant precipitation in all seasons, like most of northwest Europe. The average temperature is lowest in January at 3 °C and highest in July at 18 °C. The average precipitation per month varies between c.2 inches for February and April, to c.3 inches for July.

Belgium is shared between the Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the territory of Belgium belongs to the terrestrial ecoregions of Atlantic mixed forests and Western European broadleaf forests.

Birding Belgium

Belgium is probably not the best country for birding, although there are Belgian Hotspots. You will probably expect flocks of geese grazing the polders, but may be surprised to know that the wooded hillsides in the East of the country can hold Hazel Grouse and Tengmalm’s Owl.

The coastal area (especially of the north) attract over 30.000 Pink-footed Geese (about 75% of the Svalbard-population) and 20.000-35.000 Greater White-fronted Geese every winter. The Damme / Uitkerke polders hold the vast majority of these birds. Most winters also produce a few Red-breasted and Lesser White-fronted Geese. Between the geese you can find Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owls and regular Merlin.

The new harbour of Zeebrugge has become one of Belgium’s top-birding sites. The mixture of industry and wastelands is hardly the most attractive backdrop for a birding visit and access is not always easy, but the rewards can be considerable. Pay a visit to the nature-reserve of the Zwin too; on migration it can be very good.

The west coast can be very productive in the polders with the triangle Diksmuide – Lo – Merkem. For sea-birding the west-mole in Nieuwpoort including the reserve of the Ljzermonding and the east-mole in Oostende are an ideal places. It can be good for wader passage too.

In the north of the country you can visit Blokkersdijk – almost in the middle of the Antwerpen left-harbour. The nearby colonies of Mediterranean Gull can hold over 400 birds. Also near Antwerpen you can find the Kalmthoutse Heide, always good for warblers or a Hobby. There is an excellent website for the North of Belgium; that of Walter van Spaandonk (De Wielewaal = ornithological society in Flanders); it gives an agenda of their activities. See the links below.

Kalmthout Nature Reserve – ©jean melis, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Closer to the capital Brussels, you can have a great walk in the Zonienwoud, an old beech forest of over 4000ha. Always good for a lot of typical forest birds. Honey-Buzzard breeds there. Near Tervuren (the lakes and the museum) and in the National Garden of Meise you can find our exotics – Egyptian Goose and Ring-necked Parakeet. Apart from the birds of the Zonienwoud, you can get an idea what’s on around Europe’s capital.

In contrast to the west and middle of the country, eastwards you will find great forests – The Ardennes. For the south of the country (French speaking part) AVES is the contact – see below. Stavelot can be the best place to start your trip. Places like Trois-Ponts, Wanne and Logbiermé produce regular Nutcracker (in autumn) and are the breeding ground of Tengmalm’s Owl. Black and Grey-headed Woodpecker occur often.

There is also a walk with very impressive landscape in Hautes Fagnes, between Eupen and Monschau, which is very good. With luck you can see the migration of Common Cranes. Sadly Black Grouse have become very rare in this area. Easier to see is the Eagle Owl, now breeding regularly in several quarries (even those that are still working). The valley of the river Meuse is known for them.

Beautiful walks with some fairly good birding can be had in the surroundings of some great Ardennes rivers like Ourthe or Semois. Places like Bohan, Botassart, La Cuisine and Samree are known for Raven, Black Stork and Dipper. Do not forget, Belgium is also the home country of the European colour-ring Birding website. On this site you can find regular an up-date on the colour-ringing projects in Europe.

Zwin Nature Park – ©Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

A Recent Trip to Belgium concentrated on some birds one cannot see (either at all or easily) in the UK; here is a précis: (Also Lac du Der may well be worth going to) Ethe: Hazelhen, Hawfinch, Black & Middle-spotted Woodpeckers. Eupen: Grey-headed Woodpecker Logbierme: Tengmalms Owl in nest boxes and birds heard calling after dark. (Do not disturb nestboxes), Nutcracker can be found here too.

Contributors
Number of Species

  • Number of bird species: 477

    (As at August 2024)

    Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Checklist

  • Avibase

    PDF Checklist
    This checklist includes all bird species found in Belgium , 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.

  • Wikipedia

    Annotated List
    This is a list of the bird species recorded in Belgium. The avifauna of Belgium include a total of 477 species, of which 8 have been introduced by humans.

  • 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.
Useful Reading

  • Where to Watch Birds in Holland Belgium & Northern France

    | By Arnoud Van Den Berg & Dominique Lafontaine | Stackpole Books | 1998 | Paperback | 216 pages, Colour & b/w illustrations, maps | ISBN: 9780811731119 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Organisations

  • AVES asbl societe d'etudes ornithologiques

    Website
    Leading French language site

  • Belgian Rare Birds Committee (BRBC)

    Website
    The new committee, now officially called the Belgian Rare Birds Committee (BRBC), is placed under the auspices of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science (KBIN/IRSNB), Natuurpunt Studie and Aves-Natagora. The BRBC has been operational since January 2015.

  • Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO)

    Website
    The INBO carries out research that is essential to governmental policy and provides scientific support for conservation, development, management and sustainable use of biodiversity and its environment. It publishes the two-yearly Nature Report, which evaluates the state of nature and relevant policy efforts in Flanders…

  • Kerkuilwerkgroep Vlaanderen

    Website
    Eind van de jaren `70 stond de Kerkuil (Tyto alba ) op de Rode lijst van de met uitsterven bedreigde diersoorten in Belgi

  • L'antenne régionale Centre-Ouest Hainaut

    Webpage
    Our region covers a territory composed of entities of La Louviere, The Roeulx, Mons Quévy, Frameries, Quaregnon Saint-Ghislain, Boussu, Colfontaine, Dour, Honnelles, QUIEVRAIN, Hensies, Bernissart Péruwelz, Beloeil, Jurbise, Lens.

  • Natuurfonds Westland

    Website

  • Natuurpunt Tussen Leie en Schelde

    Website

  • Natuurpunt Bree

    Website
    Birding in Bree

  • Natuurpunt Gent

    Website
    Natuurpunt Gent is een regionale natuurvereniging voor Gent en Sint-Martens-Latem. Samen met meer dan 3800 gezinnenleden maken wij werk van meer natuur voor iedereen. Meer dan 160 lokale vrijwilligers zetten zich dagelijks in voor het beheer van natuurgebieden, een sterke beleidswerking, een onovertroffen verenigingswerking…

  • Natuurwerkgroep De Kerkuil

    Website
    Vereniging voor agrarische natuur en landschap in regio IJzer en Polder…

  • Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen

    Website
    Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen is een vereniging zonder winstgevend doel die zich inzet voor alle in het wild levende vogels en andere dieren. Ze werd op 28 juni 2002opgericht te Antwerpen en is door de Vlaamse overheid erkend als Gewestelijke Thematische Natuurvereniging. Wij heten je hartelijk welkom op onze website.

  • Vogelwerkgroep Cinerea

    Facebook Page
    Mission - Het promoten van interesse in en het onderzoek naar vogels van de Dendervallei.

  • Vogelwerkgroep Fruitstreek

    Website
    Welkom op de site van Vogelwerkgroep Fruitstreek…

  • Vogelwerkgroep Noord Oost-Vlaanderen

    Webpage
    U bevindt zich op de gloednieuwe website van de Vogelwerkgroep Noord Oost-Vlaanderen. Deze website zal zoveel mogelijk bijgewerkt om u op de hoogte te houden van de vogelpopulaties in onze streek. Hieronder vindt u het meest recente nieuws i.v.m. onze werking… Véél surfplezier!

  • Vogelwerkgroep Noord-West-Vlaanderen

    Website
    Vorig weekend werd een nieuwe nestbak voor 'onze' Slechtvalk geplaatst op de toren van de Sint-Salvatorskerk. Een 5-tal spotters werd onder leiding van Guido Orbie en Guy Robrecht naar boven geleid

  • Vogelwerkgroep Noordwest-Brabant

    Website
    Welkom op het webstekje van Natuurpunt Vogelwerkgroep Noordwest-Brabant

  • Vogelwerkgroep Zuid-West Vlaanderen

    Website
    The South of the Province of West-Flanders in Belgium has a very active birding club. The Vogelwerkgroep Zuid-West Vlaanderen's website is in Dutch with many pictures, trip reports and information on recent observations in the Kortrijk area.

  • la Ligue Royale Belge pour la Protection des Oiseaux

    Website
    La Protection des Oiseaux belge (officiellement la Ligue Royale Belge pour la Protection des Oiseaux asbl) est une association de protection de la nature nationale qui fut cr
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • Birdwatching Sites in Belgium

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Links to a number of pages for different birding places

  • Hesbaye Refuges

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Ce site est une réalisation du Groupe de protection et de développement de la nature en Hesbaye et du Siajef, Entreprise de Formation par le Travail.

  • NP Hoge Kempen

    InformationSatellite View
    The habitat is mostly coniferous trees and heath land. There are some deciduous trees, dunes, marshes, streams, dry valleys, ponds, gravel pits and former mine spoil heaps. Typical flora and fauna include juniper; gorse; bell heather; sweet gale; club moss; asphodel; dragonfly; silver studded blue butterfly; swallow tail butterfly; Granville fritillary butterfly ; Moor frog; Natterjack toad; Smooth snake; Common lizard; Brook Lamprey; Black woodpecker; Nightjar and Roe deer.

  • NPa Eifel

    InformationSatellite View
    The nature park lies between Langerwehe and Eupen in the north and Bad Münstereifel, Prüm and Sankt Vith in the south and covers six regions: the Rur Eifel, the High Eifel, the Limestone Eifel, the Our valley, the Venn Foreland and the Hohes Venn, a raised bog and heath landscape, remnants of the last ice age.

  • NPa Provinciaal Natuurpark Zwin

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Welkom op de website van het Provinciaal Natuurpark Zwin in Knokke-Heist…

  • NR Uitkerkse Polder

    InformationSatellite View
    ...the area is perhaps most known as an outstanding wintering area for thousands of waders, ducks and geese (Pink-footed Goose, White-fronted Goose…). Up to 90% of the entire Svalbard population of Anser brachyrhynchus winters in the Oostkustpolder, i.e. the area between Ostend and Knokke-Heist in which the Uitkerkse Polder plays an important role.

  • NR Zwin

    InformationSatellite View
    Zwin has an area of 1.25 square kilometres in Knokke-Heist, Belgium and 0.33 square kilometres in Sluis, Netherlands. It is famous for its large variety in salt-resistant flora, such as sea lavender. It is also popular with bird watchers. There is a small zoo with some major domestic birds and it is one of the few places in Belgium with a population of white storks. In March 1986 it was declared a Wetland of International Importance

  • Wetlands

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Belgium currently has 9 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 46,944 hectares.
Sightings, News & Forums

  • Birding Belgium

    Forum
    This page is designed for birders who have a specific interest in rarities occuring in Belgium

  • Natuurpunt Bree

    Forum
    Wild Life spotting forum

  • eBird

    Sightings
    eBirding This Month
Guides & Tour Operators

  • FlevoBirdwatching

    Tour Operator
    Birdwatching Tours in and Around Brussels. Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Crested Tit, Nutcracker, thousands of overwintering geese (mostly Pink-footed and White-fronted), breeding Bluethroats, a chance sighting of the elusive Black Woodpecker, and even a huge parakeet roost right in the centre of Brussels; these are just some of the birding highlights that Belgium has to offer...

  • NatureTrek

    Tour Operator
    Although more associated with fine chocolates than natural history, Belgium can boast many excellent wildlife reserves where the quality of the flora, birds (especially in winter)...
Trip Reports

  • 2019 [07 July] - Gerald Broddelez

    PDF Report
    ...We then visited one of the quarries to look for Eagle Owl. It took a while before we found one of the youngsters calling! We then had great telescope views of a single bird first, followed by two more showing really well in the scope. An adult bird flew ghostly overhead - a sight well celebrated!..

  • 2021 [05 May] - Benoit Verbruggen

    PDF Report
    .... We had a few waders, too: Little Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Greenshank and the only Common Snipe of the trip...

  • 2022 [04 April] - Bert Huygens - Hautes Fagnes

    PDF Report
    The hautes fagnes is only a 3h drive from my home , but it contains some species which I can't (easely) find in my local area (Red Kite, Spotted Nutcracker,White-throated Dipper,...). I only stayed for 2 days, this is only a concise trip report. But maybe some people find it useful when visiting the area.
Places to Stay

  • La Ferme de l'Airbois

    Accommodation
    Just a 2 hour and 35 minute drive from Calais, set in 60 acres of unspoilt countryside, you will find our beautiful old farmhouse. Overlooking the River Meuse, it boasts en-suite luxury accommodation, a heated swimming pool and traditional French cooking. Skilled guides (including your host) will lead you, based on the latest sightings, to the best bird sites of the Ardennes and South Belgium, where you can see up to 25 species, which are now rare or absent in the UK
Other Links

  • Migration

    Website
    Tracking migration in Belgium and Holland

  • Natuurbeleving

    Website
    Deze database bevat momenteel informatie over 326 vogels van West-Europa. We stelden de lijst samen aan de hand van de verspreidingskaartjes uit verschillende vogelgidsen.

  • Natuurpunt Bocholt

    Website
    Local birding, forum, Photos etc

  • Vivara

    Website
    Welkom bij Vivara Natuurbeschermingsproducten - Bienvenue sur le site de Vivara

  • Vogelbescherming Vlaaderen

    Website
    In deze rubriek kan je de actualiteit in verband met vogels en vogelbescherming op de voet blijven volgen. Belangrijke gebeurtenissen en leuke anekdoten worden in deze rubriek ondergebracht. Als je wilt weten waarmee Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen zich zoal bezig houdt, dan moet je af en toe maar eens in deze rubriek komen kijken
Photographers & Artists

  • Photograper - Pierre Nowosad - Birds In Flight

    Gallery
    Just as it says

  • Photographer

    Gallery
    Bird Photography, Birding

  • Photographer - Cedric Willekens

    Gallery & Blog

  • Photographer - Dany's Wildlife Photography

    Website
    Nature in close-up

  • Photographer - Michael Van Bosch - Time Smuggler

    Gallery
    Photos of birds from Belgium and around the world…

  • Photographer - Nathalie Annoye - Lueurs Sauvages

    Website
    Toutes les images sont réalisées en milieu naturel, dans le plus grand respect des sujets. Les photos de ce site ne sont pas libres de droit et sont la propriété exclusive de l'auteur. Je vous souhaite une agréable visite…

  • Photographer - Nicolas Rasson - Naturasson

    Gallery
    Le site de deux passionn

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