Hutovo Blato
Hutovo Blato is a swamp area in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina near the Croatian border. Nearby cities are Čapljina in the northwest and Metković in the southwest. The area is fed by the Krupa River , a tributary of the Neretva . Due to the karst-like terrain, the Krupa flows partly underground. Sometimes there is also a backflow of water from the Neretva.
The area is one of the most important nature reserves for marsh birds in Europe. Due to this importance, the area was declared a nature park in 1995 . The nature park covers an area of 7411 hectares , which also includes the surrounding hills.
On October 15, 2011, around 80% of the national park burned down. Hutovo Blato is home to over 160 species of birds and over 800 species of plants.
Bird sightings in Hutovo Blato
On April 13, 2001 the following bird species were sighted:
- Tachybaptus ruficollis (Little Grebe)
- Podiceps cristatus ( great crested grebe)
- Phalacrocorax carbo (great cormorant)
- Phalacrocorax pygmaeus (dwarf shark)
- Egretta garzetta (Little Egret)
- Ardea cinerea (gray heron)
- Ardea purpurea (purple heron )
- Anas strepera (gadfly)
- Anas platyrhynchos (mallard)
- Anas querquedula (teal duck)
- Circaetus gallicus ( short-toed eagle)
- Circus aeruginosus (Marsh Harrier)
- Buteo buteo (common buzzard)
- Fulica atra (coot)
- Philomachus pugnax (ruff)
- Tringa glareola (wood sandpiper)
Web links
- Official website (Croatian, English)
- Hutovo Blato bird reserve on the website www.bhtourism.ba (German)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 43 ° 1 ′ 53 ″ N , 17 ° 46 ′ 5 ″ E