Wild Paris: Herons, Falcons and Kingfishers

The natural side of Paris, from the herons of its park lakes and the kingfishers of the Seine to the falcons that nest above the rooftops and the birdlife of the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes, with a directory of the parks in our guide.

Paris is one of the densest cities in Europe, yet the City of Paris records more than 3,400 wild species within its limits: plants, animals and fungi in its parks, cemeteries, woods, canals and along the Seine. Grey herons fish in the park lakes, kingfishers dart along the river, and falcons nest high above the streets.

This is a short, honest guide. Paris is not a safari; its wildlife is birdlife, mostly, found in the gardens and the two great woods at the city's edges, the Bois de Boulogne to the west and the Bois de Vincennes to the east. Come early in the morning, walk slowly, and look up as often as down.

A heron on a rowing boat in the Bois de Boulogne is as Parisian as a café table.

Herons and kingfishers on the water

The grey heron is the easiest of the city's wild birds to see. The City of Paris names the Parc de Bercy, the Parc Martin Luther King in the new Clichy-Batignolles quarter and the Parc Montsouris among its haunts, and herons stand motionless on the banks and moored boats of the lakes of the Bois de Boulogne. Along the Seine itself, a flash of electric blue low over the water is a kingfisher.

The lake of the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, below its temple on the rock, and the Grand Bassin of the Jardin du Luxembourg are good places to sit with the ducks and gulls on a quiet morning.

The woods and the gardens

The two woods are where Paris feels wildest. In the Bois de Vincennes, the City's Maison Paris Nature, in the Parc Floral, runs workshops and talks with ornithologists and keeps a butterfly house of 40 species native to the Île-de-France; woodpeckers, song thrushes and blackcaps are heard and seen in the park, and wild orchids grow in the wood. The Lac Daumesnil, with its islands, is the place for water birds.

In the 5th arrondissement, the Jardin des Plantes, the botanic garden of the National Museum of Natural History, has glasshouses, an alpine garden and the Ménagerie, the zoo that opened there in 1794.

Feature: falcons over the rooftops

Paris has its own birds of prey. According to the City of Paris, peregrine falcons have nested on a chimney of the city's district heating company in the 15th arrondissement since 2011, a few streets from the Seine. Kestrels hunt over the quays and the parks, and a pair that nested on Notre-Dame came back after the fire of 2019.

Did you know? Paris has used no plant-protection products in its parks and gardens since 2009, and private gardeners in the city may no longer buy or use pesticides.

Our advice

Our advice: bring binoculars and come in the first hours after the gates open, when the parks are quiet. Feeding birds is prohibited in the streets, parks and gardens of Paris under the city's health regulations, so leave the bread at home. The Maison Paris Nature in the Parc Floral publishes a free monthly programme of talks and walks.