Wildlife

According to currently-available research, mammal fauna of Kopački Rit comprises
55 species, which is more than a half of the total mammal species of Croatia.
Reed beds stretching as far as the eye can see, ponds, flooded forests and wet
meadows all provide optimal living conditions for many mammals, such as the red
deer, roe deer, wild boar, wildcat, otter, beaver, badger and many more.

Nature Park Kopački Rit is known far and wide for its population of birds. It is home
for as many as 300 different bird species, which is 80% of all bird species recorded in
Croatia. Among them, more than 140 species nest regularly or occasionally in
Kopački Rit. Species nesting in large colonies are especially interesting, like the grey
heron, whiskered tern, great cormorant or black-headed gull. During spring and
autumn migration, Kopački Rit is an importing rest stop for many waterfowl species.
The Park is also the nesting ground of the largest population of the white-tailed eagle
in the entire Danube Basin. This bird is the Park’s symbol. The great cormorant is a
water-loving, fish-eating bird that nests in colonies in Kopački Rit.
Amphibian fauna of Kopački Rit comprises 12 species, which accounts for as much
as 60% of the total of 20 amphibian species recorded in Croatia. The biology of all
these species makes them bound to marshes and aquatic habitats.
Ten species of reptiles have been recorded in Kopački Rit, including one species of
turtle, four lizard species and five species of snakes. This represents 25% of the total
of 39 species of reptiles in Croatia.
European pond turtles can often be seen basking in the sun near the White Water-lily
Boardwalk.
Snakes such as the dice snake and the grass snake, the lifestyle of which is also
bound to water, can often be seen sunbathing or swimming just below the water
surface.
Kopački Rit is the largest spawning ground of fish native to this part of the Danube
Basin. The Park’s fish fauna comprises more than 50 freshwater species, with
European carp, northern pike, wels catfish and zander being the most common ones.
New ichthyofauna species are regularly recorded during monitoring at the Park.
Kopački Rit is also home to numerous invertebrates such as nematodes, gastropods,
bivalves, earthworms, leeches, crustaceans and – the group with the most members –

insects (including 48 species of dragonflies, 85 species of beetles, 64 species of
butterflies, 104 species of moths, 19 species of mosquitos, 26 species of horseflies…)
The Park is home to a unique species of bivalve, Unio tumidus kopaciensis.