SPECIAL BIRD SPECIES OF FINLAND

GROUSE (5 species)

Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Hazel Grouse, Willow Grouse, Ptarmigan.
The best time for finding grouse is their lekking period between March and May. They nest in early summer so as a rule they are not usually visible to the onlooker. However, they are again more readily available in autumn and winter. The grouse population is richest around the geographical centre of Finland. Willow Grouse and Ptarmigan are more abundant in Lapland.

OWLS (10 species)

In a good year, the following ten owl species nest in Finland:
Eagle Owl, Snowy Owl, Great Grey Owl, Ural Owl, Tawny Owl, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Hawk Owl, Tengmalm's Owl and Pygmy Owl.
The best time for observing Owls is their courtship season between March and April. In the nesting season between May and June, they can be found most easily with the help of a local guide. The nestlings disappear in the forests in summer though some migrating species can again be seen more easily in September and October. Some species, including Snowy Owl, Great Grey Owl and Hawk Owl, are more readily seen in winter.

WOODPECKERS (7 species)

Wryneck, Black Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Three-toed Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
Woodpeckers can be encountered most easily during courtship season in March-April. In their breeding season between May and June they can be found most easily with the help of a local guide. They seem to disappear in the forests in summer but emerge again at the beginning of autumn. Some species, Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpecker in particular, visit feeding sites in winter.

WADERS (27 species)

The majority of the European population of many wader species nest in Finland. Of these, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Jack Snipe, Red-necked Phalarope, Wood Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank are common on the wet bogs of Northern Finland in particular. Dotterel nests on the fells of Lapland.
Waders are most common on the sludgy shores on the western coast in their migration season in May and again between July and September. Some species, such as Jack Snipe, are only visible in their nesting sites in their courtship season between May and June.

EASTERN PASSERINES

Little and Rustic Buntings arrive in Finland late in May and are most easily found when in song in Kuusamo between May and June.

Arctic and Greenish Warblers, Red-flanked Bluetails and Red-breasted Flycatchers all enter Finland between May and June. They are most numerous in Eastern Finland and Kuusamo.

Barred Warblers, Blyth's Reed Warblers, River Warblers and Thrush Nightingales emerge in Finland at the end of May. They are most common in Southern and Southeast Finland.

Parrot Crossbill, which occurs in all parts of Finland, is an almost endemic species in Scandinavia. Two-barred Crossbill in turn has a Siberian distribution and its population varies greatly on an annual basis. In some years it is the most common crossbill in Northern Finland, only to disappear almost completely in some other years. Crossbills can be encountered in Finland in practically any season of the year.