All 5 in 3 days here: ~40%
City
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
Asia, Turkey 319 spp. recorded
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, a megacity, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical center. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in the world by population. It is a city on two continents; about two-thirds of its population live in Europe and the rest in Asia. Wikipedia
40.983° N 29.067° E
🦜 Nature
319 Species sighted
109,300 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Aug Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Eurasian Red Squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
EN
European Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
LC
Stone Marten
Martes foina
LC
European Mole
Talpa europaea
LC
Wild Boar
Sus scrofa
LC
Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis
LC
Brown Hare
Lepus europaeus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Common Wall Lizard
Podarcis muralis
LC
grass snake
Natrix natrix
LC
European Glass Lizard
Pseudopus apodus
LC
Eurasian Blind Snake
Xerotyphlops vermicularis
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Agile Frog
Rana dalmatina
LC
Turkish Smooth Newt
Lissotriton schmidtleri
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
All 6 in 3 days here: ~20%
Recent sightings in Istanbul
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Validebağ Korusu · Genel Alan
-
Gülhane Parkı
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Hacıosman Korusu
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Florya Atatürk Ormanı
-
İstanbul Atatürk Fen Lisesi
-
Kamil Abduş Gölü (Balık Gölü)
-
Boğaziçi · genel area
-
Sultanahmet Meydanı
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Maltepe Şehir Parkı
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
25Jan
30Feb
33Mar
42Apr
45May
42Jun
40Jul
45Aug
45Sep
40Oct
34Nov
31Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
Low
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
4
placesClimate
Mediterranean
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.6
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 399
🐒 Mammals 105
🦎 Reptiles 51
🐸 Amphibians 15
570 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
30 Threatened 0 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
66% 📊
Coverage (103 species at ≥5% of 570 in the inventory)
18% 🔀
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)
2 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
16 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.2
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover Low Low
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 4 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Istanbul?
319 species
Istanbul's urban area has 319 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Hooded Crow (about 90%), Yellow-legged Gull (about 90%), House Sparrow (about 80%), Rock Pigeon (about 70%) and Great Tit (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Caucasian Squirrel (about 20%); among reptiles, Italian Wall Lizard (about 40%); among amphibians, Marsh Frog (about 20%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Istanbul?
October to May
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in September.
Can you see a Yellow-legged Gull in Istanbul?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-legged Gull sighting in Istanbul on a given day, based on 5,724 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is November to July (about 90%).
Can you see a Hooded Crow in Istanbul?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Hooded Crow sighting in Istanbul on a given day, based on 5,908 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March (over 90%).
Can you see an Italian Wall Lizard in Istanbul?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Italian Wall Lizard sighting in Istanbul on a given day, based on 238 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May (about 60%).
Where in Istanbul is wildlife easiest to see?
Validebağ Korusu · Genel Alan
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Validebağ Korusu · Genel Alan (141 bird species recorded), followed by Gülhane Parkı and Hacıosman Korusu. See them on the map.
Is Istanbul good for wildlife watching?
3.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Istanbul gets 3.8/5: 274th of 380 cities worldwide and 116th in Asia. 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