Below you can find a complete list of Kosovan animals. We currently track 214 animals in Kosovo and are adding more every day!
Kosovo is a small country with abundant biodiversity. The mountains, plains, and rivers of this landlocked nation provide unique habitats for many animals native to Europe. These include wild pigs, deer, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, and many types of birds. A few famous predators live there – the golden eagle, the bear, and the lynx.
Let’s dive deeper and learn the facts about the famous, dangerous, endangered, and extinct species of this unique country.
The Official National Animal of Kosovo
Kosovo does not have an official national animal. Even its coat of arms does not contain an animal symbol, which is unique and unusual. However, the European beech tree and a species of peony flower are unofficial symbols. In the wild, these plants contribute to the country’s unique ecology.
While they are not considered national symbols, the bear, lynx, eagle, and wolf are some of the most famous wild animals of Kosovo.
Where To Find The Top Wild Animals in Kosovo
Forests are among the most biodiverse regions in Kosovo – you will find most of the popular types of wild animals there. At least thirty-nine percent of the land in Kosovo is covered by forests, so these places are not hard to find.
Kosovo is home to two beautiful national parks and over one hundred protected areas. These are good places for wildlife viewing. The Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park, for example, features stony mountains and lush, green, tree-dotted rolling hills. Sharr Mountains National Park covers over 500 square kilometers.
If you’re looking for Kosovo’s most famous wildlife, such as the golden eagle, the bear, the lynx, or the wolf, the mountains are the place to go. They can be found in remote parts of the Prokletije and the Å ar Mountains.
The Most Dangerous Animals In Kosovo Today
Kosovo’s most dangerous animals are not the popular large carnivores. If you are hiking in Kosovo, watch where you put your feet! The long-nosed or horned viper is the most notable of the venomous snakes found throughout the region. Its large size, long fangs of up to 13 mm, and toxic venom make it a dangerous animal to watch out for in rocky areas.
Endangered Animals In Kosovo
Kosovo is home to two endangered species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Both are insects – the Ampedus quadrisignatus click beetle and Ropalopus ungaricus beetle. If you see a yellow beetle with black spots or a shiny greenish-black beetle, you may be looking at an endangered species! The click beetle is already extinct in other parts of Europe. Endangered species – even small ones such as these – must be protected so they do not become extinct entirely.
Kosovan Animals
Stunningly beautiful wings
First evolved 100 million years ago!
They are so named because they "march" in armies of worms from one crop to another in search of food
Extinct ancestor of all domesticated cattle!
Has a curved, upturned beak!
Can reach speeds of 30 km/h!
The Balkan lynx communicates mostly with its ears
Found everywhere around the world!
Older offspring help care for new hatchlings.
Detects prey using echolocation!
Bed bugs feed for 4-12 minutes.
Rock paintings of bees date back 15,000 years
There are more than 350,000 different species
Not all birds are able to fly!
The biscuit beetle form a symbiotic relationship with yeast
They typically prey on insects!
Females glue egg cases to furniture
A dominant predator in it's environment!
Can live its entire life indoors
The most common species of bee!
There are thought to be up 17,500 species!
The camel crickets that are found in the USA are light brown in color. They also have dark streaks all over their body.
Carpenter ants can lift up to seven times their own weight with their teeth!
May have been domesticated up to 10,000 years ago.
The larvae of a moth or butterfly!
There are nearly 3,000 different species!
There are about 3,000 documented species!
Natively found in the European mountains!
First domesticated more than 10,000 years ago!
Cicadas have one of the longest insect lifespans
Dated to be around 300 million years old!
Pupae are able to undergo diapause to survive poor fruit yield years and winter.
The most common raptor in the UK!
Found throughout the European continent!
The common furniture beetle feeds exclusively on wood
House spiders have the ability to eat most insects in a home.
Also known as the Great Northern Diver
A group of ravens is called an unkindness or a conspiracy.
Most active in wet weather!
They can fly 35 mph and dive 150 feet below water.
There are nearly 1.5 billion worldwide!
There are 93 different crab groups
Crab Spiders can mimic ants or bird droppings
Many are critically endangered species!
Male crickets can produce sounds by rubbing their wings together
A group of these birds is called a Murder.
Have an energetic and playful nature!
These canine’s spots are distinctive in their placement, including different shaped markings, making them unique.
There are around 40 different species!
The Devil’s coach horse beetle can emit a noxious substance to deter predators
First domesticated in South-East Asia!
Dog ticks feed on dogs and other mammals
First domesticated 5,000 years ago!
Found in Europe, Africa and Asia!
It's larvae are carnivorous!
Rows of tiny plates line their teeth!
The dung beetle can push objects many times its own weight
Has exceptional eyesight!
They are hermaphrodites, which means they have male and female organs
There are nearly 2,000 different species!
Are known to guard the muddy banks!
Eels can be a mere few inches long to 13 feet!
The Eurasian jay has the ability to mimic other sounds
They can eat up to 250 bees per day!
They are frequent visitors to backyard feeders, especially those containing niger seeds.
Male robins are so aggressive and territorial that they will attack their own reflections.
The fastest creatures on the planet!
The fallow deer has more variation in its coat colors than most other deer.
False spiders actually prey on black widow spiders and other hazardous spiders
Ferrets can be trained to do tricks like dogs!
Found across mainland Europe and Asia!
Its name comes from the fact that people once believed it was born in fire
The firefly produces some of the most efficient light in the world
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air
There are more than 240,000 different species!
Can glide up to 90 meters!
Only 12 species are considered "true foxes"
There are around 7,000 different species!
Fruit flies are among the most common research animals in the world
They make many sounds when trying to attract a mate.
The most common type of urban roach
Found inhabiting dense woodland and caves!
Males form large mating swarms at dusk
Most closely related to the Sheep!
Migrates between Europe and Asia!
There are 29 different species!
There are 11,000 known species!
One of the most invasive species in the world
Able to run as quickly backwards as forwards!
Can reach speeds of over 50 mph!
Many hawk moth caterpillars eat toxins from plants, but don’t sequester them the way milkweed butterflies do. Most toxins are excreted.
Thought to be one of the oldest mammals on Earth!
Inhabits wetlands around the world!
Natively found in the Scottish Highlands!
There are only 8 recognized species!
Honey buzzards are medium-sized raptors that earned their names by raiding the nests of bees and wasps.
Stunning bird with a stinky way to deter predators!
Has evolved over 50 million years!
Horseflies have been seen performing Immelmann turns, much like fighter jets.
Thought to have orignated 200,000 years ago!
Some huntsman spiders have an interesting way of moving around. Some cartwheel while others do handsprings or backflips.
There are an estimated 30 million species!
Can maintain speeds of 16 km/h!
The jackdaw tends to mate for life with a single partner
Some can jump 50 times the length of their bodies
Inhabits wetlands and woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 5,000 species worldwide!
Lazarus Lizards can communicate through chemical and visual signals.
Does not hibernate during the bitter Arctic winter!
There are around 5,000 different species!
Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day.
Ear tufts make it look bigger!
Often hangs upside down while feeding!
They are found across Europe, Asia and Africa!
There are 2,500 known species worldwide!
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Some species have a poisonous bite!
Primarily hunts and feeds on Earthworms!
Adult Mole crickets may fly as far as 5 miles during mating season and are active most of the year.
Has characteristics of two or more breeds!
Feeds on aquatic insects and water-spiders!
Only the female mosquito actually sucks blood
There are 250,000 different species!
Found on every continent on Earth!
The offspring of a horse and donkey parents!
Roamed Asia and Europe for around 100,000 years!
Nematodes range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 28 feet long
Able to regrow lost or damaged limbs!
Named more than 1,000 years ago!
There are more than 5,000 species.
The fangs of a nose-horned viper can be as long as half an inch!
Females are about four times the size of males
The tradition of hiding your face with a napkin or towel while eating this bird was begun by a priest who was a friend of the great French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
There are 13 different species worldwide
The owl can rotate its head some 270 degrees
Females lay between 8 and 12 eggs per clutch!
Thought to have been domesticated in 9,000 BC!
They can find their way back to their nests from up to 1300 miles away.
Found in mountainous regions and rocky areas
A pine marten can jump from tree to tree similar to a squirrel.
There are 500 different species!
The rarest amphibian in the UK!
There are 30 different species worldwide!
The mantis can turn its head 180 degrees.
Inhabits deciduous forests!
Caterpillars squirt formic acid!
Inhabits woodland and forest areas worldwide!
There are more than 300 different species!
Known to wash their food before eating it!
The only hibernating canine!
Omnivores that eat anything!
Rat snakes are constrictors from the Colubridae family of snakes.
Inhabits freshwater habitats around the world!
There are more than 45 species in Australia alone!
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, likes to be in and around bodies of water. Because of this, the Catholic Church in South America decided that it was a fish, and people were allowed to eat it during Lent and First Fridays.
The roe is one of the most popular game animals in Europe
Will mate with the entire flock!
Ferrets were used during the Revolutionary War to keep down the rat population.
There are more than 700 different species!
Males turn green in spring!
There are around 2,000 known species!
The sea eagle tends to mate for life with a single partner
Males give birth to up to 1,000 offspring!
The spinal column of the shrew Scutisorex somereni is so strong and reinforced that it can support the weight of an adult human.
There are 2,000 different species worldwide!
Some skinks lay eggs in some habitats while giving birth to skinklets in other habitats.
Found widely throughout British gardens!
They glide around on one foot, which is aided by the slime they produce
Has up to 45 eggs per egg case
There are nearly 1,000 different species!
There are around 4,000 known species worldwide
One of the largest owl species in the world!
A male song thrush can have over 100 phrases in his repertoire of songs and can imitate pet birds, telephones and other man-made objects.
They spend most of their time underground!
There are 140 different species!
They prey on spiders to feed their larvae or they parasitize other spider wasps.
Small rodents found in woodlands worldwide!
There are more than 3,000 different species!
Average adults weigh about 200 grams!
They can’t sing like other birds.
Populations have been affected by pollution!
The most widespread owl in Europe!
Their mounds can be up to 9 meters tall!
The American robin is called the robin because its red breast reminded European settlers of the robin back in the old country.
They inject hosts with a chemical that stops them from feeling the pain of the bite
The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world
The bright colors of this moth are a signal to predators that it has a terrible taste.
Can live until they are more than 150 years old!
Found in warmer jungles and forests!
Some species of aquatic turtles can get up to 70 percent of their oxygen through their butt.
Vipers are one of the most widespread groups of snakes and inhabit most
There are 30 different species worldwide!
There are around 75,000 recognised species!
Has been domesticated for thousands of years!
The largest Vole species in the UK!
The Wax Moth larvae are more dangerous than the adult.
The smallest carnivorous mammal in the world!
There are two different types of white ferrets!
Males have a top tusk to sharpen the bottom one!
Thought to date back more than 300,000 years!
Carnivorous arachnid that hunts its prey.
This animal can roll up into a ball
Unlike most spiders, woodlouse spiders don’t build a web.
There are 200 different species!
Kosovan Animals List
Animals in Kosovo FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Where in the World is Kosovo?
The Republic of Kosovo is a small country in southeastern Europe, in the Balkan region. It is located north of Greece and the Mediterranean Sea.
What Is the Habitat and Climate Like in Kosovo?
Kosovo’s terrain includes vast plains and rugged mountains. The climate is highly variable. The southern mountains are cold, with summer temperatures reaching only moderate warmth. The plains regions are dry, with hot summers and frigid winters.
Are There Wolves in Kosovo?
Yes! Wolves are rare in Kosovo, but the nation is part of the historic range of the grey wolf. Wolves were once common throughout Europe, but they were hunted by humans due to mythological beliefs and competition for resources. Seeing a wolf in Kosovo today is a rare treat.
What Animals Live in Kosovo?
Kosovo’s wildlife represents all the major animal types, including mammals, birds (255 species!), fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Let’s consider some facts about each group.
Kosovo’s forests support mammals such as the boar or wild pig, deer, rabbits, and squirrels. The mountains are home to rare animals like the brown bear, roe deer, wolves, and the Eurasian or Balkan lynx. The chamois is also found there. It is a type of goat-antelope that lives in rocky regions, hopping from stone to stone.
The forests and plains are also home to large numbers of birds. These include raucous ravens, familiar sparrows, woodpeckers, magpies, starlings, turtle doves, partridges, pheasants, quail, eagles, vultures, and hawks. One notable species is the golden eagle. It is the most widely distributed and perhaps most recognizable bird in the Northern Hemisphere. A rare type of bird found there is the hen grouse.
Rivers and lakes provide the needed environment for still other animals. You might spy storks hunting along the edges of the water. Their prey could include such freshwater fish as the small herring, torpedo, carp, catfish, gudgeon, eel, scuba, trout, or salmon.
Another unique animal you may see in Kosovo is the Qeni i Sharrit or Illyrian sheepdog. This is a rare domestic dog breed that is very popular in the country of Kosovo, kept by a majority of people in the region. This large dog resembles a German Shepherd with a wide, boxy head and long fur.
The horned or long-nosed viper, one of Kosovo’s snakes, is reputed as the most dangerous animal in Kosovo.
What Is the National Animal of Kosovo?
Kosovo does not have an official national animal.