Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, north of the Sinai Peninsula, south of the Anatolian Peninsula, and west of the Levant. It is geographically a part of West Asia, but its cultural ties and geopolitics are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the third largest after Sicily and Sardinia and third-most populous island in the Mediterranean with around 1.27 million inhabitants. It measures 240 kilometres (149 miles) long from end to end and 100 kilometres (62 miles) wide at its widest point, with Turkey 75 kilometres (47 miles) to the north. It is east of Greece, north of Egypt, south of Turkey, and west of Lebanon and Syria.
The physical relief of the island is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range, and the central plain they encompass, the Mesaoria. The Mesaoria plain is drained by the Pedieos River, the longest on the island. The Troodos Mountains cover most of the southern and western portions of the island and account for roughly half its area. The highest point on Cyprus is Mount Olympus at 1,952 m (6,404 ft), in the centre of the Troodos range. The narrow Kyrenia Range, extending along the northern coastline, occupies substantially less area, and elevations are lower, reaching a maximum of 1,024 m (3,360 ft). The island lies within
Mount Olympus, Troodos Mountains – ©Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cyprus has a subtropical climate, Mediterranean and semi-arid type (in the north-eastern part of the island) with very mild winters (on the coast) and warm to hot summers. Snow is possible only in the Troodos Mountains in the central part of island. Rain occurs mainly in winter, with summer being generally dry. Cyprus has one of the warmest climates in the Mediterranean part of the European Union. The average annual temperature on the coast is around 24 °C during the day and 14 °C at night. Generally, summers last about eight months, beginning in April with average temperatures of 21–23 °C during the day and 11–13 °C at night, and ending in November with average temperatures of 22–23 °C during the day and 12–14 °C at night, although in the remaining four months temperatures sometimes exceed 20 °C. Sunshine hours on the coast are around 3,200 per year, from an average of 5–6 hours of sunshine per day in December to an average of 12–13 hours in July. This is about double that of cities in the northern half of Europe; for comparison, London receives about 1,540 per year. In December, London receives about 50 hours of sunshine while coastal locations in Cyprus about 180 hours (almost as much as in May in London).
Cyprus suffers from a chronic shortage of water. The country relies heavily on rain to provide household water, but in the past 30 years average yearly precipitation has decreased. Dams remain the principal source of water both for domestic and agricultural use; Cyprus has a total of 108 dams and reservoirs. Water desalination plants are gradually being constructed to deal with recent years of prolonged drought. Its capital and largest city is Nicosia and the second city Limassol. The northeast portion of the island is de facto governed by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Cyprus is home to a number of endemic species, including the Cypriot mouse, the golden oak and the Cyprus cedar. Fatbirder treats the island as one for birding purposes and has no deliberate bias and no political view.
Birding Cyprus
The politically divided island of Cyprus lies on one of the major bird migration routes across the Mediterranean. With Africa to the south, Turkey and central Europe to the north and Syria and the Middle East to the east, Cyprus is a major staging post used twice a year as birds move between Africa, Europe and Euro-Asia. Almost 200 species occur as regular passage migrants, while another 20 or so occur irregularly.
The resident species number in the lower 50s and some 40 or more are migrant species, which regularly or occasionally breed. The Island list stands at 422 species, which includes accidental or vagrant species and those like Stonechat and Black Redstart, which are abundant winter visitors. The degree of endemism is quite high which is surprising when you consider the Island’s close proximity to the mainland and its large migrant and wintering population. three species are currently recognized as breeding endemics; Cyprus Scops Owl, Cyprus Wheatear and Cyprus Warbler and all three are migratory. The Island also has 4 sedentary subspecies of Coal Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Jay and Crossbill.
Probably the best time to visit Cyprus is in the spring when, in addition to the hordes of migrants in their readily identifiable breeding plumages one can also see the resident and summer breeding visitors. Spring migration starts very early, by the end of February Great Spotted Cuckoo are numerous and the first Isabelline Wheatear are passing through. Early March sees the first Hoopoe and by the end of this month larks, hirundines, pipits, wagtails, warblers and buntings are in super abundance. Wryneck can be very common and Nightingale seem to pop out from every piece of low vegetation, quite happy to hop on the ground in front of you, quite different behaviour from that observed on their breeding grounds. April is the prime month if you want the largest total of species, particularly the middle 2 weeks. Some of the winter visitors will probably still be hanging on, the migrant breeders will have arrived, including Black-headed Bunting, which is probably the latest arrival and the flocks of European migrants are streaming through; magic! It is also now that most vagrants occur as well!
Kannaviou Reservoir – ©Dm Bsg, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Water bird and wader numbers start to build up in April and huge flocks of duck can be seen streaming by off shore. Both Cory’s and Mediterranean Shearwater add excitement to a spring or autumn sea watch, a pretty pointless exercise at any other time of the year. It is in spring that skua records occur, previously an extreme rarity, but now being seen annually thanks to some dedicated visitors. Wader passage continues well into May, Broad-billed Sandpiper being one of the latest.
Breeding birds include very high populations of Great Spotted Cuckoo, particularly in the west were their host species, Magpies are in plague proportions in some areas. Roller also breed in good numbers all over the Island, as does Masked Shrike in the foothills. Olivaceous Warbler sing from every bush and Cyprus Wheatear seem to occupy every available spot, their choice of habitat is really catholic! Cretzschmar’s Bunting breed on the sparsely vegetated hillsides but can be difficult to find unless you know where to look. Golden Oriole can be very difficult to track down on their breeding sites, but they are there for those with the patience to search. There are increasing records of breeding Bee-eater; surprisingly difficult to locate once they set about rearing a brood.
The spring raptor passage is only a fraction of the autumn passage but it is in spring that most Pallid Harrier sightings occur, particularly males. Breeding raptors include decent numbers of Bonelli’s Eagle but, sadly, Imperial Eagle has now been lost. Griffon Vulture are now restricted to the Western Sovereign Base site, a result of illegal shooting and poisoning. Peregrine, Goshawk and Long-legged Buzzard also breed and there have been Sparrowhawk breeding records. Eleonora’s Falcon are numerous on the western sea cliffs from May onwards and Kestrel are very numerous all over the Island.
In the autumn, from early September onwards to the end of October, the main raptor movement happens. Honey Buzzard can be seen in the hundreds around the Akrotiri Peninsular and Black Kite and Steppe Buzzard can also be very numerous. Lesser Spotted Eagle is annual and, in some years, Booted Eagle can be quite numerous. October is the month for Red-footed Falcon, the area around Mandria near the Paphos Airport and Phasouri Reed Beds being well known feeding sites for this species.
It is also in early September in fact, that Demoiselle Crane arrive. They arrive early evening at the Akrotiri Salt Lake and rest there overnight before catching the early thermals the next morning. The best time to see them is to visit the Salt Lake at first light, scope the lake from a vantage point, the area around Sylvana’s Restaurant is suggested, and then position yourself on the Salt Lake track to get decent views. Please, please do not try to get too close; they spend the night there because they are undisturbed!
The winter months can also be very productive. Stonechats, of every conceivable race, are very common as are Black Redstart. A specialty species is Finsch’s Wheatear, found in all suitable habitat, and Wallcreeper are to be found but require time, effort and some local knowledge to locate.
Illegal Trapping Cyprus is a wonderful country to birdwatch despite all the illegal liming and netting of birds that still goes on. The Illegal catching of birds can occur anywhere on the Island, but does have a contraction east of Larnaca, towards the Eastern Sovereign base area near Ayia Napa. this activity is potentially is the greatest threat to the Cyprus birds and those migrating through the Island than any other illegal hunting activity. Any illegal liming or netting should be reported. It is unadvisable to take your own action against the equipment found as the setters might be nearby and to do so could result in confrontation.
Cyprus like most countries has legalised shooting of Game birds, though unlike the UK, Cyprus does allow the shooting of Skylark and Thrushes between November and February. All shooting is illegal between March and around 20 August. Shooting is not allowed every day during the open season. In spring you potentially will not encounter many, if any. Autumn during the open season is the time of year that you will witness legalised shooting. It is more likely that you may experience infringements during this period. There was the well documented shooting of a number of Red-footed Falcons near Akrotiri.
Unfortunately, whilst incidents like this can occur, if you visit Cyprus you will not necessarily experience them. If you do witness any such activity write and express your concerns about it to: Cyprus High Commission, 93 Park Street, London W1Y 4ET; the Cyprus Tourist Organisation, 17 Hanover Street, London, W1S 1YT. Tel 020 7569 8800 or to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Main, 19 Lemesou Avenue, 2112 Aglantzia, Nicosia. To show your support consider joining and supporting the work of Birdlife Cyprus anti-trapping campaign, With the assistance of the RSPB, active work is taken each year in conjunction with the Game Fund and Sovereign base authorities to reduce the incidences of illegal trapping. The more members that Birdlife Cyprus can recruit the better! NB This advice is only relevant to the Cypriot (Greek) part of Cyprus and not the northern (Turkish) area.
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Number of bird species: 422
(As at July 2024)
- No true endemics, however, there are three species recognised as breeding endemics:
Cyprus Scops Owl Otus cyprius, Cyprus Wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca and the Cyprus Warbler Curruca melanothorax - both are migratory.
The Island also has 5 sedentary subspecies, Scop's Owl, Coal Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Jay and Crossbill.
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Avibase
PDF ChecklistThis checklist includes all bird species found in Cyprus , 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. -
BirdLife Cyprus
Illustrated ListDid you know that over 400 bird species have been recorded in Cyprus? This online guide presents some of the most common birds of Cyprus, which you can spot and identify with relative ease. -
Cyprus Bird Watching Tours
Checklist -
Wikipedia
Annotated ListThis is a list of the bird species recorded in Cyprus. The avifauna of Cyprus include a total of 422 species. Of these, 22 species are globally threatened. -
eBird
PDF ChecklistThis 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.
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A Birdwatching Guide to Cyprus
| By Arthur Stagg & Graham Hearl | Arlequin Press | 1998 | Paperback | 87 pages, 8 colour plates, b/w illustrations, 11 b/w maps | Out of Print | ISBN: 9781900159807 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Birds of Cyprus
| By Colin Richardson & Richard Porter | Helm | 2020 | Paperback | 256 pages, 95 plates with colour illustrations; colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9781472960849 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Birds of Cyprus
| By Jane Stylianou | Bank of Cyprus | 2009 | Paperback | 131 pages, 100 colour photos | Out of Print | ISBN: 9789963428731 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Cyprus Breeding Birds Atlas
| By David Whaley & Judy Dawes | David Whaley | 2003 | Spiralbound | 39 pages, Maps & b/w photos | ISBN: 9789963890606 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Finding Birds in Cyprus
| By Dave Gosney | Easybirder | 2010 | Paperback | 34 pages, b/w maps | ISBN: 9781907316210 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Finding Birds in Southern Cyprus
| By Dave Gosney | Easybirder | 2010 | DVD | Runtime: 65 minutes | ISBN: 9781907316227 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
The Birds of Cyprus
| By Peter R Flint & Peter F Stewart | BOU | Edition 3 | 2024 | Paperback | 524 pages, 32 plates, 2 maps, 13 Tables | ISBN: 9780952288695 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Where to Watch Birds in Turkey Greece & Cyprus
| By H Welch, L Rose, Moore, B Oddie & H Sigg | Mitchell Beazley | 1996 | 216 pages, 8 colour plates, 30 b/w illustrations, 35 maps | Out of Print | ISBN: 9780600582328 Buy this book from NHBS.com
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BirdLife Cyprus
WebsiteCyprus birding, information, conservation issues, contacts, species list, photographs and much more. -
Cyprus Association for the Protection of Avifauna
InformationCommunications and Media, Environment, Education & Research, Volunteering, Youth and children, Publishing Books relevant to the subject & Photography Library for the fauna of Cyprus -
Kuşkor - North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Birds
WebsiteWelcome to the website of The North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature: a site dedicated to the birds of Cyprus and the conservation of its nature -
Terra Cypria - The Cyprus Conservation Foundation
WebsitePromoting environmental awareness, sensitization and protection in Cyprus through education, policy and conservation actions.
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NP Troodos Mountains
InformationSatellite ViewThe Visitor Centre of the Troodos National Forest Park, is situated 200m west of the Troodos Square, to which is also connected with a paved trail. It is the first Centre of its kind in Cyprus and it has been operating since July 2002. The building has been erected by the Cyprus Tourism Organization and its development and operation as a Visitor Centre has been undertaken by the Forestry Department. -
Protected areas of Cyprus
InformationSatellite View
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BirdQuest
Tour OperatorTURKEY, GEORGIA & CYPRUS – the ‘Ottoman’ endemics and specialities tour -
Birdfinders
Tour OperatorCyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and, due to its position off the coasts of Lebanon and Israel, attracts a large number of migrants. This tour will specifically target the breeding endemic Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear together with the recently-split Cyprus Scops-owl and the scarce Black Francolin. -
Cyprus Birding Tours
Tour OperatorBird-Tours Cyprus cyprusbirdtours@gmail.com - Jane Stylianou offers guided tours around the Republic of Cyprus. She has lived on the island since 1985, is an active birder and involved in birding projects for BirdLife Cyprus and others. She is the author of the Bank of Cyprus book 'Birds of Cyprus'… Also see Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cyprusbirdtours -
Cyprus Birdwatching Tours
Tour OperatorCyprus Bird Watching Tours - Bird is the Word is a guided birding tour service that offers tailor made tours to meet your specific needs, whether that is a high bird count, photography focused or a perfect blend of both. -
Heatherlea
Tour OperatorExciting Mediterranean birding for Cypriot endemics and migrants -
Kudu Travel
Tour OperatorNorth Cyprus: a Walking Tour for Birds, Flowers and Crusader Castles -
Limosa
Tour OperatorAn 8-day single-centre, small group birdwatching tour to Cyprus -
NatureTrek
Tour OperatorA relaxing 8-day holiday to the Island of Cyprus, for an enjoyable mix of birding and botany from our two bases in Paphos and Latchi. -
Oriole Birding
Tour OperatorOur Southern Cyprus Spring birding tour will run at the peak of the migration to coincide with the best that this superb migration hotspot has to offer. -
Sunrise Birding
Tour OperatorSituated in the eastern Mediterranean, the island nation of Cyprus is fast becoming known as a fantastic birding destination boasting more than 420 species of birds. -
Zoothera Birding
Tour OperatorArrival in the evening and you will be met and transferred to our villa, some 40 minutes drive away where you will be greeted with a cold beer or cool glass of wine or three! We hope to give you a real holiday experience with plenty of food and drink available at no extra cost, our own swimming pool and our very own cook to cater for us!
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2015 [03 March] - Bob Shiret
ReportOur trip this year was a week earlier than last year and produced a good number of different birds and we visited four new locations. I have included directions to these; other location directions can be found on my previous reports on the Real Birder website... -
2016 [01 January] - Jonathan Lethbridge
ReportA 3 day trip in early January with Andrew M, Saturday to Monday, targeting wintering Finsch's Wheatear. -
2016 [03 March] - Bob Shiret
ReportI have to confess that before embarking on this year's trip I doubted whether I would be constructing a report afterwards as it could be too similar to previous years and not of interest. However I could not have been more wrong! I was lucky enough to be the finder of a very rare (in Cyprus) Asian Desert Warbler and also made contact (after some effort!) with a Namaqua Dove (found by others) which is similarly rare -
2018 [01 January] - Thorncombe Street Diary
ReportI’ve gone into detail on sites for Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Scops Owl, two endemic species that are fairly difficult to see, certainly in the winter. Finally, I’ll do a separate post on the gulling I got in, as this was particularly educational and enjoyable. That post will also cover Lady’s Mile and the wetland sites south of Larnaca to some extent. -
2018 [11 November] - Bob Shiret
PDF Report...About an hour later we were on the edge of the amphitheatre and in the middle of the field opposite was a Wheatear that looked different to any I had seen before. I took some distant shots and realised it could be something out of the ordinary so got closer, to about 25 yards and the bird was quite happy and continued feeding whilst I took some shots some of which are below. That evening I contacted the Cyprus Bird Recorder to let other birders Know and next day a number of birders were able to make contact with the bird and the discussion started as to what it might be. Initial thoughts were that it might be a femail Maghreb Wheatear, but then some of the experts thought a femail Finch`s Wheatear more likely, which is how it currently stands... -
2019 [05 May] - Bob Swann
PDF ReportFor our early summer holiday this year we decided on Cyprus. We booked flights with Easyjet and used Booking.com to book the Kings Hotel in Paphos for four nights and the Marianna Apartments in Limassol for the final three nights. We used CarRentals.com to book a car via Budget which we collected at Paphos Airport. Finally I bought Dave Gosney’s excellent booklet – Finding Birds in Southern Cyprus. This gives details of all the sites we visited, though there have been some changes since it was written in 2010. -
2019 [08 August] - Derek Brennan
PDF ReportThis is a Trip report for Cyprus from 31st July – 14th August 2019. Areas covered include various sites around Paphos, sites near Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus, and finally some sites on the Karpas peninsula in the north east of the island. -
2022 [06 June] - Brian McCloskey
PDF Report19th June: A slightly longer stroll in the same area up as far as Paphos Headland (34.754882, 32.400240) produced several good birds. A minimum of 4 Crested Larks and my first Zitting Cisticola were again just inside the Archeological site. A quick check of the rocks on the headland produced two Greater Sand Plovers and a Kentish Plover. Both species showed very well. Walking back to Paphos, near the Goat Field (34.767008, 32.409187), a Laughing Dove showed very well. These were surprisingly common in Paphos, I had them from the balcony of our hotel almost daily. -
2022 [06 June] - Simon Pearce
PDF ReportA last minute break was incorporated as part of the Queens Jubilee long bank holiday weekend, and we decided on Cyprus. While the main birding season was over in Cyprus, it would still give us the chance to catch up with some of the resident endemic and migrant breeding species and subspecies. Namely Cyprus Warbler, Cyprus Wheatear, the recently split Cyprus Scops Owl, Black Francolin, Eleonora’s Falcon and Masked Shrike, as well as the subspecies of Short-toed Treecreeper, Jay and Coal Tit. -
2022 [11 November] - Bob Shiret - Paphos
PDF ReportThis headland next to the hotel has lots of archaeological digs on the site and is good for Meadow Pipit, Red Throated Pipit, Stonechats, Redstart, Crested Lark, Kestrel, Black Redstart and the odd wader such as the Common Sandpiper pictured below. Also seen was this Budaks Snake-eyed Skink, a species I had not seen or heard of before! -
2023 [03 March] - Paul Lynch
PDF ReportWe didn't have a set itinerary but decided to alternate between birding locally (less than an hour’s drive) one day and visiting sites further away on the next day. We then decided based on recent gen and weather conditions. We had also pre booked two walks organised by Birdlife Cyprus so we could learn the best areas to bird within the two sites visited, namely Akrotiri and Paphos headland. Brian looked after the car hire, which was a Dacia Duster, a little bit of a squeeze to and from the airport with all our luggage but otherwise perfect for 4 people with our birding gear and any of the rough tracks we ended up on. -
2023 [04 April] - Jack Bucknall
PDF ReportUpon leaving the hotel, we noted our only Eurasian Sparrowhawk of the trip flying overhead. Several common species were encountered on our journey such as Common Kestrel, Collared Dove, Woodpigeon, White Wagtail, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Greenfinch and Goldfinch. These species were present in almost all areas, and seen commonly -
2023 [04 April] - Tony Culley
PDF ReportUnseasonably warm temperatures combined with lack of rain both combined to produce conditions that were conducive to a smooth and untroubled migration but not, to any significant falls. Some superb birds were encountered including all three island endemics, Bonelli’s Eagles Aquila fasciata, Great Snipe Gallinago media, Finsch’s Wheatear Oenanthe finschii, Humes Warbler Phylloscopus, crisp adult Baltic Gulls Larus fuscus fuscus and a great host of supporting migrants. The overall lack of Birds of Prey (Common Kestrel Falco tinninculus excluded) was notable as was the complete absence of some birds such as Sub Alpine Sylvia cantillans and Ruppell’s Warblers Sylvia rueppelli. Our understanding is that we missed the peak migration period for the latter. -
2023 [05 May] - Ian Merrill
PDF ReportThis week-long trip was instigated as an opportunity to catch up with the recently-split Cyprus Scops Owl, but also encompassed the island’s other two breeding endemic bird species (both seen a very long thirtyfour years previously, in Israel!) and three resident endemic subspecies. Our travels around the interior and coastlines also took in a host of other exciting Eastern Mediterranean birds and gave ample time to savor a whole raft of oth -
2024 [04 April] - Dr J C Wasse
PDF Report...but birding highlights included a couple of elegant Hoopoes that raised their crests together on alighting on a branch by the camping area. Sardinian Warblers scolded allcomers and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler sang its quick song as it held territory, allowing glimpses in the canopy... -
2024 [04 April] - Matthew Smith
PDF ReportBonelli’s Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Long-legged Buzzard, Goshawk, Osprey, Cyprus Scops Owl, Masked Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Finsch’s Wheatear, Black-eared Wheatear, Cyprus Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, Caspian Stonechat, Whinchat, Cyprus Warbler, Ruppell’s Warbler, Orphean Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Bimaculated Lark, Calandra Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Brambling, Ortolan Bunting, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Red-throated Pipit, Black Francolin, Chukar, Baillon’s Crake, Little Crake, Little Bittern, Black-winged Pratincole, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Hoopoe, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper, Citrine Wagtail, Blue Rock Thrush, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Red Crossbill, Short-toed Treecreeper, Laughing Dove, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Baltic Gull, Alpine Swift, Pallid Swift and Red-rumped Swallow.
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Holiday Appartment - Pyla (near Larnaca)
AccommodationSpecial rates for fatbirder users! quote this code: P07C101 -
Peyia Apartment
Accommodation2 bed apartment for rent -
Vasilias Nikoklis Inn
AccommodationThe area is an unspoiled paradise for bird watchers at any time, but particularly during the migration season. Francolin, kestrel, vulture, hoopoe, warblers and kingfisher are often to be seen in the valley. Every year swallows nest in the bar and dining room
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Green Cyprus
WebsiteWith its approximately 1.800 species and subspecies of flowering plants, Cyprus, is an extremely interesting place for nature lovers and has all the attributes which make it a botanist`s paradise. Being an island, it is sufficiently isolated to allow the evolution of a strong endemic flowering element. At the same time being surrounded by big continents, it incorporates botanological elements of the neighbouring land masses. -
Migrations
WebsiteMigration is not just something we observe in birds but part of our own nature…
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Birds and Nature Photography in Cyprus
GallerySome people think that wildlife photography is a hobby, a pastime. In reality it is exactly the opposite, a sort of purpose in life...