All 2 in 3 days here: ~70%
City
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
Europe, Greece 238 spp. recorded
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. Wikipedia
37.981° N 23.717° E
🦜 Nature
238 Species sighted
49,267 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Gray Wolf
Canis lupus
EN
European Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Florida Redbelly Turtle
Pseudemys nelsoni
LC
grass snake
Natrix natrix
LC
Eastern Montpellier Snake
Malpolon insignitus
LC
Eurasian Blind Snake
Xerotyphlops vermicularis
Roughtail Rock Agama
Stellagama stellio
LC
European Ratsnake
Zamenis situla
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Marsh Frog
Pelophylax ridibundus
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
All 5 in 3 days here: ~50%
All 6 in 3 days here: ~10%
Recent sightings in Athens
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Athens National Garden (Εθνικός Κήπος)
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Acropolis of Athens (Ακρόπολη Αθηνών)
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Antonis Tritsis Metropolitan park (Μητροπολιτικό πάρκο 'Αντώνης Τρίτσης')
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Former Ilisos and Kifisos River Deltas (Πρώην εκβολές Κηφισού και Ιλισσού)
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Filopappou Hill (Λόφος Φιλοπάππου)
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Pikrodafni Stream (Ρέμα Πικροδάφνης)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Stavros Niarchos Park
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Pireas Port (Λιμάνι Πειραιά)
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Mikro Limanaki -- Alimos (Μικρό Λιμανάκι Αλίμου)
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Lykavitos Hill (Λόφος Λυκαβηττού)
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
37Jan
33Feb
36Mar
41Apr
39May
38Jun
36Jul
35Aug
35Sep
40Oct
40Nov
34Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
4%
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
4
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
1
placesClimate
Mediterranean
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Zoos & rescue centres
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.1
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 346
🐒 Mammals 76
🦎 Reptiles 47
🐸 Amphibians 10
479 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
28 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.3
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
71% 📊
Coverage (87 species at ≥5% of 479 in the inventory)
18% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 reptile)
20% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
4 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
12 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.7
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea 4% land Medium
Protected areas 4 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 1 Medium
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Athens?
238 species
Athens's urban area has 238 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Eurasian Magpie (over 90%), Marginated Tortoise (about 90%), House Sparrow (about 90%), Rock Pigeon (about 80%) and Eurasian Blackbird (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Red Fox (about 30%); among amphibians, Balkan Frog (about 20%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Athens?
February–March and November
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in May to August. Those are among Athens's wettest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in August.
Can you see a Marginated Tortoise in Athens?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Marginated Tortoise sighting in Athens on a given day, based on 1,002 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March–June and August–November (about 90%).
Can you see a Yellow-legged Gull in Athens?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-legged Gull sighting in Athens on a given day, based on 2,207 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February to May (about 80%).
Can you see a Eurasian Magpie in Athens?
Yes
Over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Magpie sighting in Athens on a given day, based on 3,552 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Where in Athens is wildlife easiest to see?
Athens National Garden (Εθνικός Κήπος)
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Athens National Garden (Εθνικός Κήπος) (70 bird species recorded), followed by Acropolis of Athens (Ακρόπολη Αθηνών) and Antonis Tritsis Metropolitan park (Μητροπολιτικό πάρκο 'Αντώνης Τρίτσης'). See them on the map.
Is Athens good for wildlife watching?
4.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Athens gets 4.0/5: 215th of 380 cities worldwide and 13th in Europe. 17 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Parks
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Nearest Zoos & Centres
Sources: urban area GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A, European Commission JRC (CC BY 4.0) · protected land WDPA, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN (via GHSL) · climate NASA POWER · wildlife GBIF.org citizen-science data