Near ThreatenedRed Wood Ant
Formica rufa
Europe
Despite its small size, Luxembourg keeps more than a third of its surface under forest, a high proportion for western Europe. The north, the Oesling, is part of the Ardennes massif: slate relief, valleys cut deep by the Our and Sûre rivers, and beech and oak woods where red deer, roe deer, wild boar and a well-established population of European wildcat live, one of the best studied on the continent thanks to genetic monitoring by hair traps. The south, the Gutland, is gentler and agricultural, with sandstone outcrops in the Mullerthal region that form damp, shady gorges, a refuge for amphibians, ferns and mosses. The wetlands of Haff Réimech, former gravel pits in the Moselle valley, have been turned into the country's main bird reserve, with more than two hundred species recorded.
National animal: No official national animal; the red lion is the heraldic emblem
Luxembourg was one of the first countries to build wildlife overpasses designed specifically for the European wildcat, whose territories were being cut in two by the motorways. Genetic studies have shown that hybridisation with domestic cats is lower here than in neighbouring countries, which makes its population a genetic reserve of real importance for the species on a European scale.
One of the countries with the highest traffic density in Europe, it has committed to ecological corridors and wildlife crossings. The water quality of the Sûre and the Alzette determines the otter's recovery.
The Our valley in autumn for the red deer rut. Haff Réimech between October and March for wintering waterbirds. The Mullerthal in spring for amphibians and woodland birds.
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Same region: Western Europe
Same region: Western Europe
Same region: Western Europe
Same region: Western Europe
390 species found
Based on what we already know about Luxembourg.
