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Kosovo

Europe

313

Documented species

2

Parks and reserves

Kosovo is a territory of basins ringed by high mountains, with two national parks that take up a notable share of its surface. The Bjeshkët e Nemuna, a continuation of the Albanian Alps, form glacial cirques, limestone walls and beech and pine forests where brown bears, wolves and Balkan chamois move, along with the Balkan lynx, detected very sporadically on camera traps. The Sharr range, to the south, keeps relict stands of Bosnian pine, high-altitude pastures grazed for centuries and a flora rich in Balkan endemics. The Rugova canyons and the stepped Mirusha waterfalls, cut into travertine, are the country's most singular river landscapes. The headwaters hold native trout, and the mountain pastures remain tied to transhumance with the Sharr shepherd dog.

Nature in Kosovo

National animal: No official national animal

Did you know?

In the forests near Pristina a sanctuary has operated since 2013 to take in the so-called restaurant bears: animals that spent years shut in tiny cages in full view of the customers of bars and hotels as a commercial draw. When the practice was banned, the bears, unable to survive in the wild, were moved to wooded enclosures where many stepped on soil and grass for the first time in their lives.

Biodiversity profile

Conservation

Historic mining at Trepça and river pollution are the main environmental liability. Camera-trap monitoring of the Balkan lynx is coordinated with North Macedonia and Albania within the same regional programme.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Bjeshkët e Nemuna in summer for chamois and cliff birds. Sharr in spring for the flowering of the pastures and mountain birds. The Rugova canyon year-round for raptors.

Parks and reserves

National Park

Bjeshkët e Nemuna

The Kosovan side of the Accursed Mountains, with relict glaciers and one of the richest biodiversities in the Balkans.

See park
National Park

Sharri

The Šar Mountains, with Macedonian pine forests and one of the richest endemic floras in the Balkan Peninsula.

See park

Similar countries

Where else might I want to travel?

Slovenia

Same region: The Balkans

Croatia

Same region: The Balkans

Montenegro

Same region: The Balkans

Albania

Same region: The Balkans

Species documented in Kosovo

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Conservation

313 species found

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about Kosovo.

ParkBjeshkët e Nemuna

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Eurasian BitternLeast Concern

Eurasian Bittern

Botaurus stellaris

Eurasian Crag MartinLeast Concern

Eurasian Crag Martin

Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Sand MartinLeast Concern

Sand Martin

Riparia riparia

Pied AvocetLeast Concern

Pied Avocet

Recurvirostra avosetta

Leopard SlugLeast Concern

Leopard Slug

Limax maximus

Water PipitLeast Concern

Water Pipit

Anthus spinoletta

Meadow PipitLeast Concern

Meadow Pipit

Anthus pratensis

Short-eared OwlLeast Concern

Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeus

Eurasian Eagle-OwlLeast Concern

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Bubo bubo

Griffon VultureLeast Concern

Griffon Vulture

Gyps fulvus

Zitting CisticolaLeast Concern

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

Common BuzzardLeast Concern

Common Buzzard

Buteo buteo

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Mountain
Grassland