There are over 500 species of birds living in Italy today. These birds can be found in the country’s diverse habitats, including wetlands, mountains, and coasts. In fact, Italy is one of the most biodiverse nations in the entire continent.
The national bird of Italy is, appropriately, the Italian Sparrow. Other notable avifauna include the Alpine Swift, the Eurasian Jay, and the Red-legged Patridge.
List of Common Birds Found in Italy
Native Birds
- Alpine Chough
- Alpine Swift
- Barn Owl
- Bearded Reedling
- Blackcap
- Black-headed Gull
- Black Kite
- Black Redstart
- Black-winged Stilt
- Blue Tit
- Cetti’s Warbler
- Coal Tit
- Common Blackbird
- Common Buzzard
- Common Chaffinch
- Common Chiffchaff
- Common Cuckoo
- Common House Martin
- Common Kestrel
- Common Kingfisher
- Common Linnet
- Common Moorhen
- Common Nightingale
- Common Pheasant
- Common Quail
- Common Redstart
- Common Sandpiper
- Common Snipe
- Common Swift
- Common Tern
- Common Whitethroat
- Common Wood Pigeon
- Crested Lark
- Crested Tit
- Dunnock
- Eurasian Blackbird
- Eurasian Blackcap
- Eurasian Blue Tit
- Eurasian Bullfinch
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Eurasian Coot
- Eurasian Hobby
- Eurasian Hoopoe
- Eurasian Jackdaw
- Eurasian Jay
- Eurasian Magpie
- Eurasian Nuthatch
- Eurasian Reed Bunting
- Eurasian Reed Warbler
- Eurasian Siskin
- Eurasian Skylark
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Eurasian Spoonbill
- Eurasian Treecreeper
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Eurasian Wren
- European Bee-eater
- European Crested Tit
- European Goldfinch
- European Greenfinch
- European Green Woodpecker
- European Herring Gull
- European Honey Buzzard
- European Nightjar
- European Pied Flycatcher
- European Robin
- European Roller
- European Serin
- European Shag
- European Shelduck
- European Starling
- European Stonechat
- European Turtle Dove
- Firecrest
- Gadwall
- Garganey
- Great Crested Grebe
- Greater Flamingo
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Great Tit
- Great White Egret
- Gray-headed Woodpecker
- Gray Heron
- Gray Wagtail
- Hawfinch
- House Sparrow
- Italian Sparrow
- Lesser Whitethroat
- Little Bittern
- Little Egret
- Little Grebe
- Little Owl
- Long-tailed Tit
- Mallard
- Marsh Tit
- Mediterranean Gull
- Montagu’s Harrier
- Mute Swan
- Northern Lapwing
- Northern Wheatear
- Pied Avocet
- Red-crested Pochard
- Red Kite
- Red-legged Partridge
- Red-throated Pipit
- Rock Dove
- Rock Partridge
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Sardinian Warbler
- Short-toed Snake Eagle
- Slender-billed Gull
- Tawny Owl
- Water Rail
- Western Bonelli’s Warbler
- Western Jackdaw
- Western Marsh Harrier
- Western Osprey
- Western Yellow Wagtail
- White-headed Duck
- White Stork
- White Wagtail
- Willow Warbler
- Woodlark
- Yellowhammer
- Yellow-legged Gull
Non-native Birds
- African Sacred Ibis
- Ashy-throated Parrotbill
- Erckel’s Francolin
- Monk Parakeet
- Northern Bald Ibis
- Red Avadavat
- Red-billed Leiothrix
- Ring-necked Pheasant
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Vinous-throated Parrotbill
- Wood Duck
Some of the best places to go birdwatching in Italy include the wetlands of Po Delta, Gran Paradiso National Park, and Stelvio National Park. The best times to go birding in Italy are between April and June (spring) and between September and November (autumn).
