Hortobágy National Park
🇭🇺 Hungary
🐦 Great Egrets Over the Puszta MarshesHortobágy National Park is a protected grassland and wetland region situated on the Great Hungarian Plain in Eastern Europe. Unlike densely forested reserves, this open temperate habitat features vast alkaline plains, shallow marshes, and slow-moving rivers that stretch across the horizon.
47.663° N 21.154° E
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Great Bustard
Otis tarda
★ 
Common Crane
Grus grus
★ 
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodia
★ 
White-tailed Eagle
Haliaeetus albicilla
📊 Most Spotted
Greylag Goose
Anser anser
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Western Marsh-Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
Rook
Corvus frugilegus
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Common Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
Eurasian Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
📊 Most Spotted
Brown Hare
Lepus europaeus
Western Roe Deer
Capreolus capreolus
European Mole
Talpa europaea
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
Northern White-breasted Hedgehog
Erinaceus roumanicus
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Mound-building Mouse
Mus spicilegus
Takhi
Equus przewalskii
Eurasian Beaver
Castor fiber
Stoat
Mustela erminea
European Badger
Meles meles
Black-bellied Hamster
Cricetus cricetus
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Great Bustard
Otis tarda
★ Common Crane
Grus grus
★ Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodia
★ White-tailed Eagle
Haliaeetus albicilla
📊 Most Spotted
Greylag Goose
Anser anser
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Western Marsh-Harrier
Circus aeruginosus
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
Rook
Corvus frugilegus
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Common Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanus
Eurasian Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
European Tree Frog
Hyla arborea
Green Toad
Bufotes viridis
European Fire-Bellied Toad
Bombina bombina
Danube Crested Newt
Triturus dobrogicus
Marsh Frog
Pelophylax ridibundus
Smooth Newt
Lissotriton vulgaris
Common Spadefoot
Pelobates fuscus
Agile Frog
Rana dalmatina
Recent sightings in Hortobágy National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Great Bustard Display
During spring, male Great Bustards perform elaborate courtship displays with puffed-up necks and tail feathers, offering a unique wildlife spectacle.
2Autumn Crane Migration
Thousands of Common Cranes gather at Hortobágy’s wetlands and surrounding agricultural fields, creating one of Europe’s most spectacular bird migrations.
3Winter Waterfowl Concentration
Hortobágy’s frozen and open waters attract dense congregations of waterfowl, including swans, geese, and diving ducks, providing exceptional birdwatching opportunities.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Great Bustard Display
- 2Autumn Crane Migration
- 3Winter Waterfowl Concentration
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
On the way to the first tower, we saw Green Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper both good surprises as well as a few Snipe in the distance we saw a Black-winged Stilt in some muddy pools we saw a Greenshank, and a couple Common Sandpipers, a Ruff, 3 Black-tailed Godwits and my lifer Glossy Ibis!
Two Little Egret and a Pygmy Cormorant at a fishpond. Árkus Plains (H) It stopped raining about 6 pm just as I found a male Hobby on the ground for a prolonged time.
Common crane Common crane Common crane In the afternoon, we encountered a few Eurasian dotterels (Charadrius morinellus) on migration.
This time we had time to explore all the lagoons, and we found the lagoons at the end of the site much more productive than those at the start, with many more species of waders, ducks and grebes.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Hortobágy National Park?
The most likely sightings are Greylag Goose (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Great Egret (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Western Marsh-Harrier (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), European Starling (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Grey Heron (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers) — among 470 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Hortobágy National Park for wildlife?
August has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Great Bustard in Hortobágy National Park?
It's possible but not guaranteed: about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Bustard sighting in Hortobágy National Park, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Sightings take luck and time in the field.
Can you see Common Crane in Hortobágy National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Crane sighting in Hortobágy National Park, based on 411 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Eurasian Spoonbill in Hortobágy National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Spoonbill sighting in Hortobágy National Park, based on 339 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see White-tailed Eagle in Hortobágy National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Eagle sighting in Hortobágy National Park, based on 398 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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