Grèbe huppé avec son petit sur un étang de la DombesGrêbe huppé et son petit
©Grèbe huppé avec son petit|Michael Zeilfelder

Which Birds

to See in Dombes?

Dombes, a Territory Perfect for Bird Watching

Its ideal geographical location and its 1,200 ponds make Dombes a perfect place for birds to breed, nest, or simply stop during migration.

There are more than 250 bird species visible in Dombes, especially in spring and winter.

Equipped with binoculars or a spotting scope, well settled by the pond or in an observatory, which birds can you see in Dombes?

Birds

to Watch in Dombes

Le Cygne tuberculé

  • The king of the Dombes ponds, it has no less than 25,000 immaculate white feathers. It is one of our largest birds, and with a weight of up to 10 kg, it is one of the heaviest birds in Europe capable of flying. However, it does not lack grace: these faithful birds form hearts with their necks when swimming in pairs. Size: 160 cm Wingspan: 200 to 240 cm Weight: 9000 to 13000 g Lifespan: 20 years
Cygne TuberculeCygne Tubercule
©Cygne Tubercule

La Nette rousse

  • She has undertaken a journey from Central Asia to populate our Dombes ponds and bring us a bit of color with her red crest and bright red beak. Her wintering habits have shifted significantly towards Western Europe over the last 2 or 3 decades. Size: 58 cm Wingspan: 84 to 88 cm Weight: 1000 to 1300 g Lifespan: 7 years
Nette Rousse sur un étang de la DombesNette Rousse sur un étang de la Dombes
©Nette Rousse

La Foulque macroule

  • Did you get up a little too late and think your bird-watching outing is compromised? You can always count on the Eurasian Coot. Whether it’s sunny or rainy, hot or cold, coots are not afraid to show themselves and signal their presence with a honking call. Adults sport a beautiful white facial shield, while the young are bald except for a few feathers resembling the tonsure of monks who are at the origin of our beautiful region. Size: 39 cm Wingspan: 70 to 80 cm Weight: 575 to 800 g Lifespan: 18 years
Foulque MacrouleFoulque Macroule
©Foulque Macroule

Le Grèbe huppé

  • The Great Crested Grebe is the largest of our European grebes. It is a piscivorous diving bird that frequents water bodies bordered by vegetation and is easily distinguished by its graceful and slender appearance. From afar, its long, thin, white neck contrasts with its dark, triangular head. During the breeding season, it emits a variety of sounds, songs, and harsh, loud calls. Outside this period, it is rather silent. The Great Crested Grebe is famous for its impressive courtship displays where it emits a series of trills and rhythmic clicks while moving in the water. Size: 61 cm Wingspan: 85 to 90 cm Weight: 750 to 1200 g Lifespan: 10 years
Grèbe huppé en DombesGrèbe huppé posé sur un étang
©Grèbe huppé

La Grande Aigrette

  • She is more slender and less massive than the Grey Heron, which she surpasses in length. Her very long neck forms a characteristic S at rest, with a break in the middle. Her plumage is entirely white, which, combined with her large size, makes her an unmistakable bird. The non-breeding white plumage is very sober. The beak, long and not very high, is then yellow to yellow-orange, and the legs are black. As the breeding season approaches, long ornamental feathers called "aigrettes" appear on the back, lower neck, and chest, which serve as elements of seduction during the courtship display, but no elongated feathers at the back of the head in this species. The bare parts of the body take on color. Size: 104 cm Wingspan: 140 to 170 cm. Weight: 1000 to 1500 g Lifespan: 23 years
Grandes AigrettesGrandes Aigrettes
©Grandes Aigrettes

Le Héron cendré

  • With its gray plumage, long beak, and long legs, it shows up on each of your outings. In summer or winter, on ponds or in fields, it never misses the call. But don’t be fooled by its apparent tranquility: if it flies unhurriedly, spends hours motionless among the reeds, and walks slowly in the water, it becomes a formidable predator and rarely misses when an unsuspecting carp has the misfortune of passing between its legs. Size: 98 cm Wingspan: 175 to 195 cm. Weight: 600 to 1200 g Lifespan: 25 years
Heron CendreHeron Cendre
©Heron Cendre

La Mouette rieuse

  • The Black-headed Gull is a great fan of the Dombes ponds. With eyes closed, one could almost imagine being by the sea, in ports, or on a ship's deck… Yet, the Black-headed Gull is not a sea bird but indeed a bird of inland areas. Depending on the seasons, it changes its wardrobe, its head being white in winter with a black spot behind the eye and turning black in spring for its breeding plumage. Size: 43 cm Wingspan: 94 to 110 cm Weight: 225 to 350 g Lifespan: 32 years
Mouette RieuseMouette Rieuse
©Mouette Rieuse

Le Grèbe à cou noir

  • The Little Egret is one of the small heron species with immaculate white plumage found worldwide. It is a common and gregarious species. It is most often found near water, where it comes to fish, usually in small groups. It actively searches for its prey in shallow water, walking briskly through the environment without making an umbrella with its wings to attract them like other species do, simply opening them slightly in certain circumstances to reduce the sun's glare. It feeds on a wide variety of vertebrate prey (small fish, amphibians, and their larvae, even small lizards) and invertebrates (worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and various insects, aquatic and others), harpooned with its beak. It is recognized by its black beak and slender feathers on the head. Size: 65 cm Wingspan: 86 to 104 cm. Weight: 500 to 638 g Lifespan: 9 years
Grebe A Cou NoirGrebe A Cou Noir
©Grebe A Cou Noir

L'Aigrette garzette

  • The Little Egret is one of the small heron species with immaculate white plumage found worldwide. It is a common and gregarious species. It is most often found near water, where it comes to fish, usually in small groups. It actively searches for its prey in shallow water, walking briskly through the environment without making an umbrella with its wings to attract them like other species do, simply opening them slightly in certain circumstances to reduce the sun's glare. It feeds on a wide variety of vertebrate prey (small fish, amphibians, and their larvae, even small lizards) and invertebrates (worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and various insects, aquatic and others), harpooned with its beak. It is recognized by its black beak and slender feathers on the head. Size: 65 cm Wingspan: 86 to 104 cm.
Aigrette GarzetteAigrette Garzette
©Aigrette Garzette

Le Héron garde-boeufs

  • This is a medium to large-sized wading bird with a long neck, long legs, and a long beak. The neck is folded into an S at rest and in flight. It straightens when the bird is alert or capturing prey. This heron is slightly smaller than the Little Egret. It is known under two relatively different plumages. In breeding plumage, it sports elongated orange feathers on the head, neck, chest, and lower back. Its beak is bright orange, and its legs are pink. The iris is yellow. In non-breeding and juvenile plumage, it is entirely white with dark legs. Its beak is orange. This bird shows a developed gregarious instinct. It is almost always observed in groups and nests in colonies. Size: 56 cm Wingspan: 88 to 96 cm. Weight: 300 to 400 g Lifespan: 15 years
Heron Garde BoeufsHeron Garde Boeufs
©Heron Garde Boeufs

Le Canard colvert

  • Dombes hosts over 25,000 ducks in winter. The Mallard makes up a large part of this population with several thousand individuals. It is the largest duck in Dombes, feeding on fish, grasses, seeds, worms, frogs, and insects it catches on the surface or in shallow water. It is easily recognizable by its green head (the male). It is sedentary and can be found all year round. It is not very shy and does not fear humans. Size: 65 cm Wingspan: 75 to 100 cm Weight: 850 to 1400 g Lifespan: 10 years in the wild
Canard ColvertCanard Colvert
©Canard Colvert

Le Fuligule milouin

  • The Common Pochard is a species that can be sedentary or migratory. Dombes is its main breeding site in France. In winter, many migratory individuals join the established population in Dombes. It eats seeds, roots, leaves, and buds of aquatic plants. In fact, it eats everything it can reach by diving from the surface. The Common Pochard is a threatened species. It is recognized by its reddish-brown head and white-gray wings (the male). Size: 58 cm Wingspan: 72 to 82 cm Weight: 700 to 1100 g Lifespan: 10 years
Fuligule MilouinFuligule Milouin
©Fuligule Milouin

Le Fuligule morillon

  • The Tufted Duck is a species that can be sedentary or migratory. In winter, many migratory individuals join the established population in Dombes. It prefers deeper ponds. It eats insects, mollusks and crustaceans, tadpoles, small frogs, and small fish, as well as aquatic vegetation. The Tufted Duck dives up to 4 m deep. It will not develop its potential in the Dombes ponds, as these have an average depth of 70 cm… It is recognized by its black crest on its head and the contrast of its glossy black and white plumage. Size: 47 cm Wingspan: 67 to 73 cm Weight: 550 to 900 g Lifespan: 15 years
Fuligule MorillonFuligule Morillon
©Fuligule Morillon

La Cigogne blanche

  • The White Stork is a large wading bird with black and white plumage, without sexual dimorphism (no difference in plumage between male and female). The White Stork is an almost mute bird. Only at the nest can a few whistles from both partners be noted. However, nest greetings between adults are marked by prolonged and very loud bill clattering, with the head tilted backward and touching the back. It can now be observed all year round, whereas previously it was strictly migratory and thus absent in winter. Size: 102 cm Wingspan: 155 to 165 cm. Weight: 3000 to 3500 g Lifespan: 26 years
Cigogne BlancheCigogne Blanche
©Cigogne Blanche

La Spatule blanche

  • A large heron-like bird with white plumage and recognizable by its long, wide, oddly ridged, and spoon-shaped beak at the end. It is usually silent like its stork cousins. The Eurasian Spoonbill is gregarious and colonial during the breeding season. It is most often observed in groups in shallow waters. While progressing blindly, sometimes rapidly, they sweep the mud with their beaks using horizontal side-to-side movements. Group fishing is probably more effective and productive. Size: 95 cm Wingspan: 115 to 135 cm. Weight: 1200 to 1700 g Lifespan: 28 years
Spatules BlanchesSpatules Blanches
©Spatules Blanches

This list of birds to see in Dombes is not exhaustive. Many species nest or make a stopover in Dombes each year, allowing you to observe Black Terns, terns, sandpipers, teals, wagtails, ducks, geese, ibises… and many more!
To have the chance to observe them, equip yourself with binoculars or a spotting scope. It is also essential to stay quiet and not make noise.

Websites, such as the Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux, list the different bird species present in the area.

When to See Birds in Dombes?

Bird Migration in Dombes

Walking Routes to the Observatories

Are you looking for hiking trails in Dombes along the ponds?
Here are 4 walking routes to discover the observatories!

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