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Eastern Hungary

Birds

Hungary is internationally important for birds such as ferruginous duck, saker (circa 150 pairs) eastern imperial eagle (circa 80 pairs) great white egret (over 3,000 pairs) and the most great bustards in Europe outside Iberia. Black, whiskered and white-winged black terns are a great feature of the wetlands. Red-backed shrikes, cuckoos and turtle doves are impressively common countryside birds, and colour is added with red-footed falcons, bee-eaters and rollers. Warblers include river, marsh, great reed, Savi’s and barred.

Reptiles & amphibians

Eastern Hungary is home to both fire-bellied and yellow-bellied toads, common spadefoot, green toad, tree frog, agile frog and fire salamander. We will certainly hear and see some of these amphibians. Reptiles in the regions we visit include pond terrapin, sand lizard, green lizard, Balkan wall lizard, aesculapian snake and grass snake.

Butterflies

The Bükk Hills, in particular, are good for butterflies. Species recorded in June include large and purple-shot coppers, chestnut and pearly heaths, silver-studded, mazarine and chequered blues, black-veined white, brown and sloe hairstreaks and several fritillaries including spotted, Nickerl’s and
Queen-of-Spain.

Other wildlife

The limestone grasslands and woods of the Bükk Hills have a rich range of flowers. By contrast, the Hortobágy grasslands are home to susliks and an interesting alkaline-steppe flora: sea aster and sea lavender might suggest Europe’s coastline rather than a land-locked plain! Mammals such as wild boar, red deer, otter and beech marten are not uncommon but hard to see. The National Park also maintains some rare breeds of traditional domestic stock.

 

Black woodpecker Black woodpecker

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