European Animals Latvia and Lichtenstein

Wildlife of Latvia

Latvia is a small Baltic country that lies between the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga. It has boundaries with Estonia to the north, Russia to the east, and Lithuania to the south. Over half of the country is forested and known for its lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.

Official National Animal

White wagtail

The forests of Latvia are home to squirrels, badgers, arctic foxes, rabbits, lynxes, and other mammals.

Conservationists have reintroduced elk, deer, and beavers successfully to the wild.

Among the birds that are native to Latvia include woodpeckers, blackbirds, nightingales, owls, orioles, larks and quails.

In the lakes and marshes you can see storks and herons.

National Parks

At Razna National Park which is a protected area on Lake Razna, the second largest lake in Latvia you can see a variety of wildlife. Among them large animals like lynxes and wolves.

At Kemeri National Park, a huge wetlands sanctuary with raised bogs, transitional bogs, and fens you can see wild horses and wild cows grazing on the land. There is a bird watchtower so you can spot many bird species.

Native Animals

In the forests you can see the Eurasian brown bear.

Eurasian wolves are the most common wolves that range from southwestern Europe to northeastern Russia. These wolves are the largest of Old World gray wolves.

European bison also referred to as the zubr. They are the heaviest wild land animals in Europe.

Mountain hare are a species of hare adapted to mountainous and polar habitats. 

Moose are the largest and heaviest species of deer in the world. With broad antlers they live in the northernmost parts of the globe.

The red fox is among the most successful species in the world.

Marine Animals

Eurasian otters are a species of semi-aquatic mammals native to much of Eurasia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the extreme northwestern parts of Africa, in Morocco and Algeria.

Gray seals are a large species of seals native to the coastlands of the Atlantic, from the United States and Canada to Iceland, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and the Baltic Sea.

Harbor porpoises are among the smallest species of cetacean. They inhabit river estuaries and coastal areas.

Birds

Peregrine falcons are a large species of falcons. They are known for being the fastest animals in the world. These birds can be found everywhere in the world.

Snowy owls are the most beautiful species of owl in the world. They can be found in all northern regions from the North Pole as far south as the Baltic States. These type of owls are featured in the Harry Potter saga.

Greater spotted eagles are a large species of birds of prey that breed in Eurasia and migrate to Africa and southern Asia during the winter.

Wildlife of Liechtenstein

Lichtenstein is a small European country in the Alps and one of the smallest nations in the world. It is completely bordered by Austria and Switzerland. The country has more than 40 species of mammals and over 250 species of birds.

Official National Animal

The Common kestrel, a bird also known as the sparrow hawk.

Animals in Liechtenstein

Wild boars live in the forests.

Least weasels are the smallest living carnivores,

Beech martens are indigenous to the country.

Eurasian beavers known all over Eurasia.

Red foxes the largest of true foxes and most widely spread in the Northern Hemisphere.

Ermines are mustelids native to Eurasia.

Eurasian lynxes are medium-sized wild cats. They count as the third-largest predators in Europe.

Red squirrels are a species of tree squirrels common throughout Europe and Asia.

Birds

Ospreys are diurnal, fish-eating birds of prey.

Mallards are a dabbling duck breed found in Eurasia.

Nightingales are small passerine birds known for their powerful and lovely songs.

Common cuckoos are members of the cuckoo order of birds.

Eurasian eagle-owls are known all over Europe.

Mute swans are often seen in urban parks and other waterways in the country.

Endangered Animals

White-clawed crayfish

Apollo butterflies

Gray wolves

Bechstein’s bats