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Greece Greece Special Protection Area for birds

Epanomi Lagoon

132 bird species recorded; the most from March to May.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec77at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

Vasileios Karapanagiotidis · CC BY-SA 4.0

This month here

40 species in January.

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.

Eurasian Wren
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesWinter visitorAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Great Cormorant
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentJJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian MagpiePica picaResidentAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Hooded Crow
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommonists · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Kestrel
Common KestrelFalco tinnunculusResidentAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Sardinian Warbler
Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephalaResidentCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Greater Flamingo
Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseusResidentEl Golli Mohamed · CC BY-SA 4.0
Corn Bunting
Corn BuntingEmberiza calandraResidentSteve Riall · CC BY 2.0
Common Buzzard
Common BuzzardButeo buteoWinter visitorcaroline legg · CC BY 2.0
Syrian Woodpecker
Syrian WoodpeckerDendrocopos syriacusWinter visitorמינוזיג · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Chiffchaff
Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaWinter visitorAlexis Lours · CC BY 4.0
Yelkouan ShearwaterVU
Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanWinter visitorJulien Renoult · CC BY 4.0
European Robin
European RobinErithacus rubeculaWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
White Wagtail
White WagtailMotacilla albaWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Eurasian Chaffinch
Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebsWinter visitorGilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium · CC BY-SA 2.0
Great Crested Grebe
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusWinter visitorGrahamBreeze · CC BY-SA 3.0
Rook
RookCorvus frugilegusWinter visitorKim Hyun-tae · CC BY 4.0
Dalmatian PelicanNT
Dalmatian PelicanPelecanus crispusWinter visitorRoubinakiM · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Snipe
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorHobbyfotowiki · CC0
Water Pipit
Water PipitAnthus spinolettaWinter visitorZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Reed Bunting
Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclusWinter visitorMPF · CC BY-SA 4.0
Black Redstart
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosWinter visitorTisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0
Crested lark
Crested larkGalerida cristataResidentZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Yellow-legged Gull
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentJörg Hempel · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

132 species, counted.

61out of 100

Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).

  • 132Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 59Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 1,711Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 7Raptors
  • 2Owls
  • 23Waders
  • 12Gulls & seabirds
  • 7Ducks & geese
  • 9Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 1Storks & cranes
  • 1Flamingos
  • 57Songbirds
  • 13Other 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 132 species.

By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.

Raptors7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
  • Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
  • Common BuzzardButeo buteo
  • Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
  • Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
  • European HobbyFalco subbuteo
  • Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
  • Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Waders23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
  • Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
  • Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
  • Little StintCalidris minuta
  • Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
  • Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
  • DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
  • RedshankTringa totanus
  • Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
  • Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
  • Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
  • Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
  • RuffCalidris pugnax
  • Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
  • Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
  • Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
  • Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
  • European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
  • Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
  • Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
  • Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
  • Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
  • Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
Gulls & seabirds12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
  • Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
  • Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
  • Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
  • Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
  • Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanVU
  • Little TernSternula albifrons
  • Common TernSterna hirundo
  • Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
  • Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
  • Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
  • Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
Ducks & geese7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
  • MallardAnas platyrhynchos
  • Eurasian TealAnas crecca
  • Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
  • Northern PintailAnas acuta
  • Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
  • GarganeySpatula querquedula
Herons, ibises & grebes9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
  • Grey HeronArdea cinerea
  • ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
  • Little EgretEgretta garzetta
  • Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
  • Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
  • Dalmatian PelicanPelecanus crispusNT
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Microcarbo pygmaeusMicrocarbo pygmaeus
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • White StorkCiconia ciconia
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds57 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Crested larkGalerida cristata
  • Eurasian MagpiePica pica
  • Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
  • Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
  • Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
  • European GreenfinchChloris chloris
  • Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
  • Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
  • European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
  • House SparrowPasser domesticus
  • Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
  • Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
  • European SerinSerinus serinus
  • Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
  • Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
  • European RobinErithacus rubecula
  • Eastern Olivaceous WarblerIduna pallida
  • White WagtailMotacilla alba
  • Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
  • SkylarkAlauda arvensis
  • Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
  • European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
  • Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
  • Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
  • Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
  • Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
  • Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
  • RookCorvus frugilegus
  • Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
  • Sand MartinRiparia riparia
  • Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
  • Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
  • Great titParus major
  • Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
  • WoodlarkLullula arborea
  • Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
  • Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
  • Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
  • Northern RavenCorvus corax
  • WhitethroatSylvia communis
  • BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
  • GoldcrestRegulus regulus
  • Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
  • Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
  • Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
  • Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
  • WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
  • Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
  • Lesser Grey ShrikeLanius minor
  • Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
  • Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
  • Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
  • Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
  • Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
  • Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
Other birds13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
  • Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
  • Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
  • Syrian WoodpeckerDendrocopos syriacus
  • European SwiftApus apus
  • Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
  • European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • Common CuckooCuculus canorus
  • Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
  • Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
  • Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
  • European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus

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 March to May.

Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.

  1. Jan408°/1°47 mm
  2. Feb3010°/2°38 mm
  3. Mar7714°/4°48 mm
  4. Apr7118°/8°40 mm
  5. May7524°/13°46 mm
  6. Jun5430°/18°38 mm
  7. Jul5433°/21°28 mm
  8. Aug5933°/21°24 mm
  9. Sep3327°/17°47 mm
  10. Oct1021°/11°50 mm
  11. Nov5015°/7°44 mm
  12. Dec199°/2°64 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Epanomi Lagoon.

Protected natural site

Epanomi Lagoon is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Greece.

132 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 1,711 open records.

The most recorded are the Crested lark, the Great Cormorant and the Yellow-legged Gull.

37 species come for the summer, 20 for the winter and 2 only pass through.

4 are threatened worldwide, including Yelkouan Shearwater, Curlew Sandpiper and European Turtle Dove.

The most species are recorded from March to May.

GR1220011 ΛIΜΝΟΘΑΛΑΣΣΑ ΕΠΑΝΟΜΗΣ 2
Vasileios Karapanagiotidis · CC BY-SA 4.0

Get there and watch

  • Ακτή Ρετζίκαcampsite · 1.9 km · 2 within 10 km
  • Ακτή Ρετζίκαplace to stay · 1.9 km · 4 within 10 km
  • Epanomínearest town · 4.5 km in a straight line
  • Thessaloniki Macedonia International Airport (SKG)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 15 km in a straight lineCar hire at SKG airport (Thessaloniki)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.

Epanomi Lagoon seen from above (Sentinel-2)
Seen from above: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 6 × 6 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around, in OpenStreetMap

  • 1viewpoints within 5 kmCape Epanomi
  • 4restaurants and cafés within 3 km
  • 2campsites within 10 kmΑκτή Ρετζίκα
  • 4places to stay within 10 kmΑκτή Ρετζίκα, Helena's Beach House, Elena Studios & Apartments and 1 more
  • bird hides within 6 km
  • observation towers within 6 km
  • marked trails within 4 km
  • visitor centres within 6 km
  • car parks within 3 km

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.

In our other atlases

Around Epanomi Lagoon.

The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.

Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.

Photographs

The place, as people saw it.

38 GR1220011 SCI EDGE EPANOMI THESSALONIKI 01 (By TRYFON MANOLIS THESSALONIKI HELLAS)
Tryfon Manolis · CC BY-SA 4.0
38 GR1220011 SCI EDGE EPANOMI THESSALONIKI 02 (By TRYFON MANOLIS THESSALONIKI HELLAS)
Tryfon Manolis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Boat on the coast of Epanomi
Antonis Stamatis · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other places nearby.

Epanomi Lagoon

Greece

  • 61Birdyas Score
  • 132Species
  • 59Migrants
  • 4Threatened

Lake Koroneia

Greece · 39 km

  • 79Birdyas Score
  • 234Species
  • 140Migrants
  • 6Threatened

See the guide

Lake Volvi

Greece · 57 km

  • 76Birdyas Score
  • 197Species
  • 104Migrants
  • 5Threatened

See the guide

Dojran Lake

Greece · 93 km

  • 75Birdyas Score
  • 177Species
  • 91Migrants
  • 6Threatened

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name and typeWikidata (Q53672658) · CC0
Birds1,711 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
See these recordsgbif.org
SpeciesGBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons
AltitudeCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Temperature and rainNASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2)
What is around© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Sister atlasesPeakyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas

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.