Birds

Over 120 species of birds have been observed, including sedentary, passage migrant and migratory birds. During the winter, the forests are home to woodcocks, song thrushes, redwings and fieldfares, while winter wrens, robins, gold-crested wrens, greenfinches and blue tits can be seen occupying the undergrowth. Spring sees the arrival of hoopoes, orioles and cuckoo birds, red-backed shrikes and long-tailed tits. Chaffinches, goldfinches and jays are present all year round. In open grassland areas, it is easy to spot calandra larks and crested larks and, in summer, the peculiar European nightjar, a twilight bird that nests on the ground with a flight similar to that of a small falcon. Diurnal birds of prey include many buzzards; there are also kestrels, sparrowhawks and sometimes Eurasian hobbies. The recent presence of nesting peregrine falcons near the Rocca Pendice site owned by Veneto's regional government and run by the park authority has confirmed the environmental and faunal potential of the Euganean Hills, enough to justify their inclusion in the Natura 2000 Network's list of European SPAs (Special Protection Areas). Among the nocturnal birds of prey you may come across long-eared owls, little owls, Eurasian pygmy owls, barn owls and tawny owls. Birds that are often found in flatland areas along rivers and near marshes are common, such as the grey heron and the white heron, little egrets and moorhens.