Czechia
Czechia has a varied Central European landscape of rolling uplands, forested mountain ranges, river valleys and agricultural basins. Mountain systems such as the Šumava and Krkonoše border the country, with extensive spruce and mixed forests, peat bogs and upland meadows. The interior contains fertile farmland, deciduous woodland and numerous artificial fishponds, particularly in South Bohemia, where centuries of water management have created extensive wetland habitats. Major rivers include the Elbe, Vltava and Morava. The climate is temperate continental, with warm summers, cold winters and cooler, wetter conditions in the mountains.
Overview
Czechia offers particularly good forest, wetland and fishpond birding. The extensive pond systems of Třeboň and South Bohemia support White-tailed Eagle, Black Stork, Great Reed Warbler, ducks and migrating shorebirds. Mature forests hold Black, Middle Spotted and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, while mountain areas such as Šumava support Three-toed Woodpecker, Eurasian Pygmy Owl and Hazel Grouse. Southern Moravia adds warmer farmland and wetland habitats with European Bee-eater and Red-backed Shrike. Czechia has good roads, public transport, walking trails and numerous protected areas, making independent birding easy. It has few unique targets, but provides an excellent and accessible cross-section of Central European forest and wetland birdlife.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Tit Parus major | 54.2% | 60.6% | 64.2% | 65.1% | 60.4% | 49.8% | 39.4% | 35.7% | 41.8% | 51.2% | 61.8% | 60.5% | 59.9% |
| Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula | 47.7% | 46.2% | 45.8% | 55.5% | 61.4% | 63.3% | 62.4% | 43.7% | 28.9% | 35.0% | 42.3% | 42.7% | 45.6% |
| Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus | 41.7% | 48.6% | 48.8% | 48.7% | 46.6% | 34.7% | 29.5% | 28.5% | 34.9% | 40.4% | 47.0% | 46.2% | 46.9% |
| Mallard Anas platyrhynchos | 35.5% | 33.0% | 33.8% | 42.0% | 46.2% | 38.1% | 29.3% | 28.9% | 33.3% | 33.4% | 34.4% | 37.0% | 36.4% |
| Common Wood-Pigeon Columba palumbus | 33.8% | 0.6% | 7.2% | 47.4% | 57.6% | 54.0% | 55.2% | 55.3% | 54.6% | 45.2% | 26.1% | 1.8% | 0.9% |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major | 32.7% | 32.9% | 31.3% | 33.8% | 31.0% | 29.8% | 29.5% | 28.0% | 36.5% | 35.0% | 36.0% | 34.4% | 34.2% |
| Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs | 31.1% | 21.3% | 20.4% | 42.4% | 47.5% | 46.0% | 45.4% | 28.5% | 16.9% | 20.5% | 33.6% | 26.2% | 24.0% |
| Eurasian Magpie Pica pica | 30.1% | 34.4% | 34.5% | 32.4% | 26.5% | 23.8% | 26.0% | 22.7% | 23.0% | 30.0% | 34.2% | 36.7% | 37.0% |
| Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita | 29.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 24.9% | 64.7% | 57.5% | 54.9% | 44.1% | 34.7% | 41.3% | 23.6% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Common Buzzard Buteo buteo | 27.4% | 27.2% | 30.2% | 30.6% | 27.0% | 23.5% | 20.8% | 23.1% | 28.4% | 32.3% | 29.7% | 27.8% | 28.5% |