Birding Hotspots Italy

Where is the Po Delta?

The Po Delta is located in the northeast corner of Italy, where the Po River enters the Adriatic Coast, south of Venice.

About the Po Delta

The Po Delta is a vast wetland and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of Europe’s best birding locations. The delta is 786 Sq km, of which 160 sq km are lagoons and 120 sq km are the protected Parko Naturale Regionale Veneto del Delta del Po (The Po Delta Regional Nature Park).

There are several boardwalks through the park for birding with hides and viewing platforms.

The Birds

More than 50,000 waterbirds visit the Po Delta every year.

Hotspots in the Delta

Sacca di Gor, in the north, nearest to Venice, is a good place to look for Slender-billed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, and Gull-billed Tern

Valli di Cammachio. Lagoons and salt marshes teeming with birds, including a large colony of Greater Flamingos and Eurasian Spoonbills, Kentish Plovers, Mediterranean Gulls, Gull-billed Terns, Common Terns, Sandwich Terns, Little Terns, and Collared Pratincoles.

Boscoforte. Look on the small peninsula that juts into the lagoon for the very rare Lesser Crested Tern among the more numerous tern species.

In the reeds around the lagoons, look for Eurasian Bittern, Purple Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Great Reed Warbler, and Montagu’s Harrier.

Punte Alburete has a small colony of Pygmy Cormorants as well as several species of herons and bitterns. There are also many duck species, including Ferruginous Duck and Red-crested Pochard.

Palassa della Baiona and Cervia Saltpans are home to many species of gulls and terns, including Yellow-legged Gulls. It is also good for sandpipers and Greater Flamingos.

Argenta

The town of Argenta is 30 km inland from the delta, but it is worth going. The Valle Santa Reserve is home to Spotted and Little Crakes, Whiskered Terns, and Eurasian Penduline Tits.

Photo Credits

Collared Pratincole – Eleni Saitanidi

Red-crested Pochard – Lazszio Nagy

Greater Flamingo – Birdtripper

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