A monthly field guide for wildlife photographers and birdwatchers in Romania.
Discover which species are relevant in January, where to look for them, when they are active and how to prepare for photographing them responsibly.
Off: only months confirmed by a Romanian source. Beginner-friendly shows species marked Easy to observe.
70 species
Based on species with reviewed monthly data.
Anser albifrons · Gârliță mare
Why this month
Does not breed in Romania; present only in winter.
Where to look
Open farmland in Dobrogea and the south-eastern plains between October and March.
Branta ruficollis · Gâscă cu gât roșu
Why this month
Does not breed in Romania; present only in winter.
Where to look
Scan large goose flocks on farmland in Dobrogea and Bărăgan in winter for the smaller, darker birds.
Cygnus cygnus · Lebădă de iarnă
Why this month
Does not breed in Romania and is present only in winter.
Where to look
From late October to February, check large lowland wetlands and nearby farmland, where flocks feed by day.
Circus cyaneus · Erete vânăt
Why this month
Northern birds winter here, mainly from October to March or early April.
Where to look
Open farmland and marsh edges in the lowlands in winter, often late in the afternoon.
Buteo lagopus · Șorecar încălțat
Why this month
Present in January
Where to look
Open plains and farmland from November to March; look for hovering birds over fields.
Chroicocephalus ridibundus · Pescăruș râzător
Why this month
In winter gulls from elsewhere arrive, while some Romanian breeders winter abroad.
Where to look
Town rivers and lakes in winter; wetland colonies in the Danube Delta and lowland lakes in spring and summer.
Turdus merula · Mierlă
Why this month
Partly migratory in the northern half of the country and the mountains, mostly resident in the lowlands; birds from northern populations arrive on passage and in winter.
Where to look
Lawns, parks and woodland edges; singing males are easiest at dawn and dusk.
Aythya ferina · Rață cu cap castaniu
Why this month
Resident: breeds dispersed throughout the country and is present all year, with an influx of birds from the north in winter.
Where to look
Lakes and slow rivers with rich vegetation; larger numbers on unfrozen water in winter.
Fulica atra · Lișiță
Why this month
During migration and winter large concentrations form on open water, with birds arriving from further north.
Where to look
Lakes, ponds and reservoirs almost anywhere in the lowlands; large flocks in winter.
Aythya nyroca · Rață roșie
Why this month
It gathers in groups in autumn; far fewer birds remain over winter.
Where to look
Reed-fringed lakes and channels in the Danube Delta and floodplain wetlands.
Mareca strepera · Rață pestriță
Why this month
Resident, with a numeric increase in the winter season from an influx of northern birds.
Where to look
Vegetated lowland lakes and lagoons; numbers grow in winter.
Phalacrocorax carbo · Cormoran mare
Why this month
In winter it disperses and can be seen in variable numbers on many water bodies.
Where to look
Large lakes, the Danube and the Delta; flocks fly low over the water at dawn and dusk.
Showing 12 of 70 species
Monthly results use the seasonality information available in the Wild By Nick Wildlife Encyclopedia. Source-verified records are prioritised. Estimated timing is clearly marked, and missing data does not imply that a species is absent. Exact nests, dens and sensitive wildlife locations are never shown.