All 5 in 3 days here: ~40%
City
Helsinki
🇫🇮 Finland
Europe, Finland 308 spp. recorded
Helsinki is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. As the most populous urban area in Finland, it is the country's most significant centre for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. Wikipedia
60.233° N 24.909° E
🦜 Nature
308 Species sighted
195,832 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: ~20%
All 6 in 3 days here: ~10%
All 7 in 3 days here: ~10%
Recent sightings in Helsinki
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Espoo · Laajalahti Maari
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Espoo · Suomenoja
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Espoo · Laajalahti Elfvik
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Espoo · Laajalahti
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Espoo · Iso Huopalahti
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Vanhankaupunginlahti
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Vanhankaupunginlahti, Lammassaari
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
21Jan
21Feb
29Mar
45Apr
66May
79Jun
90Jul
83Aug
66Sep
44Oct
32Nov
25Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
1%
Protected sea
6%
Protected areas
92
areasWildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
3
placesClimate
Continental
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
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
4.8
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 391
🐒 Mammals 75
🦎 Reptiles 9
🐸 Amphibians 7
482 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
31 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
4.2
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
61% 📊
Coverage (137 species at ≥5% of 482 in the inventory)
28% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
20 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.4
Climate Harsh Low
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea 1% land · 6% sea High
Protected areas 92 High
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 3 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Helsinki?
308 species
Helsinki's urban area has 308 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Hooded Crow (about 80%), Great Tit (about 80%), Eurasian Blackbird (about 80%), Blue Tit (about 70%) and Mallard (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Brown Hare (about 40%); among reptiles, Viviparous Lizard (about 20%); among amphibians, European Common Frog (about 30%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Helsinki?
April to June
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in November to March.
Can you see a Barnacle Goose in Helsinki?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Barnacle Goose sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 3,359 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May–June and August (about 70%).
Can you see a Hooded Crow in Helsinki?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Hooded Crow sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 6,779 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is October to March (about 90%).
Can you see a Common Gull in Helsinki?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Common Gull sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 4,406 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April and July (about 80%).
Where in Helsinki is wildlife easiest to see?
Espoo · Laajalahti Maari
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Espoo · Laajalahti Maari (196 bird species recorded), followed by Lauttasaari and Espoo · Suomenoja. See them on the map.
Is Helsinki good for wildlife watching?
4.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Helsinki gets 4.3/5: 128th of 380 cities worldwide and 4th in Europe. 28 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
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