Haven for Animal Life

Millions of birds of more than 300 species flock to this avian paradise. About half the world’s white pelicans and over 60 percent of the world’s pygmy cormorants breed within the Danube Delta. Also, nearly all of the world’s red-breasted geese​—a globally threatened species—​spend the winter here. In March, pelicans build their nests and lay their eggs on remote floating islands of reeds. When autumn arrives, the pelicans depart for the Nile Delta, Greece, and Asian coasts as distant as India.

The birds are drawn back to the Danube Delta not only by the ideal habitat but also by the fish. More than 90 species of fish thrive in the delta’s channels.

[Picture on page 26]

More than 300 species of birds flock to this avian paradise, including kingfishers