The back story
Wild Amsterdam: Herons, Kingfishers and Highland Cattle
Herons on the houseboats, parakeets in the parks, and kingfishers, pine martens and Highland cattle in the Amsterdamse Bos: the wild side of Amsterdam.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Martin Cooper · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe natural side of Amsterdam, from the grey herons of the canals and the green parakeets of its parks to the kingfishers, grass snakes, owls, pine martens and Scottish Highland cattle of the Amsterdamse Bos, with a directory of the parks in our guide.
Amsterdam is a city built on water, and the water brings the wildlife. Grey herons stand on the canal edges and the decks of the houseboats, and on the south-western edge of the city the Amsterdamse Bos, a forest planted almost a century ago, has become home to kingfishers, owls and pine martens.
This is a short, honest guide: Amsterdam's wildlife is mostly birdlife, met on a walk or a bike ride. Bring binoculars, go early, and leave the bread at home.
In Amsterdam, a heron waits on a houseboat for its lunch.
Herons on the canals
The grey heron is the wild bird most visitors notice first in Amsterdam. It fishes the canals from the quaysides, stands motionless on the roofs and decks of the houseboats, and patrols the edges of the park ponds. In the parks, look up too: green rose-ringed parakeets, birds of far warmer countries, have settled in the city and screech through the treetops.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © David Evers · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe Amsterdamse Bos
The Amsterdamse Bos, on the edge of the city by Amstelveen, is a mix of woodland, grassland, reed beds and open water. Its rangers name the animals to look for: Scottish Highland cattle, kingfishers, grass snakes, owls and, with a little luck, a fox. Pine martens, which the Bos says no one would have dreamt of 90 years ago, now live here too, along with bats and squirrels, and in spring the cherry trees blossom.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Tinotibaldo · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsFor birdwatchers, the Bos has a 270-degree bird hide, De Nieuwe Meerkoet, on the Oeverlanden, looking over water, woodland and banks; it is rented by the day for up to two people through the Boswinkel visitor centre on the Bosbaanweg.
Feature: the kingfisher
The kingfisher is a protected native bird and the most colourful one in the Amsterdamse Bos, betrayed by its loud call and its electric blue. Half a century ago kingfishers were a rarity around Amsterdam; their numbers have grown with cleaner water and milder winters, and every year, before the breeding season, the Bos and volunteers of the Vogelwerkgroep Amsterdam cut fresh nesting banks for them.
Did you know? The first known kingfisher nest in the Amsterdam region was found in 1953, in the Amsterdamse Bos.
Our advice
Our advice: hire a bike and ride out to the Amsterdamse Bos for a morning; start at the Boswinkel on the Bosbaanweg for maps and walks, and book the bird hide ahead. Keep your distance from the Highland cattle, and never feed the birds in the parks or on the canals.
Why it's on our list
- Herons on the canals
- The Amsterdamse Bos
- Feature: the kingfisher
- Our advice
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyCanal houses and the notary: buying in AmsterdamCanal houses and apartments, the purchase agreement, the notary and the Land Registry: how buying works in the Netherlands.
The back storyCentraal on the IJ and the Eurostar: Amsterdam by railAmsterdam Centraal on the IJ, the Eurostar to Brussels, Paris and London, and fast trains across the Netherlands.
The back storyThe three great canals, the Amstel and the IJ: Amsterdam on the waterThe three great canals, the Amstel and the IJ: how a city built on water became a UNESCO World Heritage site.