page_title: Färnebofjärden National Park
section_title: Birds
hierarchical_section_title: Färnebofjärden National Park / Natural environment / Animals / Birds
caption_attribution_description: Ural Owl Strix uralensis, male, Etelä-Pohjanmaa region, Finland
context_page_description: Färnebofjärden National Park is a Swedish national park traversed by the river Dalälven, about 140 km north of Stockholm. It covers 10,100 ha, of which 4,110 ha aquatic, on the frontier between the counties of Dalarna and Gävleborg.
  After the retreat of the ice sheet that covered the region after the last ice age, the river found itself rerouted by an esker onto a plain uniquely ribbed by the ridges of other eskers, where it formed a succession of rapids and wide bays, which the river inundates during the spring floods. This particular hydrography, along with the park's proximity to the ecological frontier between the north and the south, has favored the development of a fauna and flora of great biodiversity. The park possesses coniferous, mixed, and broadleaf forests, some of which quite ancient, spared by the logging industry because of their inaccessibility. These forests constitute the ideal environment for numerous species, in particular birds, with critical densities of woodpeckers and owls.
  If the presence of humans was relatively discreet since the Stone Age, concentrated principally atop the eskers, the development of mining activity has profoundly affected the region.
context_section_description: Birds are without question Färnebofjärden's most numerous class of animal. More than 200 species have been reported of which at least 107 nest regularly in the park. This richness is in part connected to the presence of characteristic species of both the south and the north. In addition, the park contains species of bird both aquatic and sylvan.
  The park has a rich population of aquatic birds, attracted by the shallow, fish-rich waters. The proximity of big trees, especially pines, affords them good nesting opportunities. The most common species are the common gull , the common tern, the black-throated loon, and the mute swan . In the wetlands, one often finds the grey heron, the western capercaillie or even the common crane. One of the most notable aquatic species is the osprey, with thirty couples — probably one of the most important densities of the country. The white-tailed eagle, a species classified as endangered in the country, practically vanished from the park in the 1970s, but it is now returned.
  However, it is the forest species which are the most notable of the park, especially the woodpeckers and owls. Concerning woodpeckers, the great spotted woodpecker is the most common, but the black woodpecker, the European green woodpecker and the lesser spotted woodpecker are also themselves common. The population of white-backed woodpecker, a species classified as very endangered in Sweden with only 16 individuals in the whole country in 2004, has diminished in the park. Of 7 pairs observed in 1976, one sole individual was observed in 2003, and then a new couple in 2010. This species especially likes old forests with many dead trees and the species is thus a good indicator of the richness of the forest. In contrast, the grey-headed woodpecker is becoming more common. Regarding owls, the most common species are the Eurasian pygmy owl and the Ural owl. The latter is in addition the symbol of the park. Apart from these species, there are the common buzzard, the Eurasian hobby, or even, among others, the European honey buzzard.
caption: The Ural owl, symbol of the park
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