The Altmark's wildlife

Discover the variety of wildlife

Due to the various nature and bird protection areas as well as many natural landscapes, you will find a great variety of animal species in the Altmark, some of which are counted as endangered species.

The Altmark is paradise for nature lovers. There are large fields and forests where the typical native animals can be found: roe deer, stag, wild boar, squirrel, marten, fox, badger and animal immigrants like the raccoon. But above all, you can observe a large number of rare bird species: Birds of prey such as the red kite and osprey, or walking birds such as the crane, white and black stork, which are rarely seen in other parts of Germany. The various nature parks, biosphere reserves and protected areas offer unique experiences of nature and opportunities to observe rare animals.

In the east of the Altmark are the river landscapes of the Elbe and Havel. In the Elbe floodplains and in the Elbe-Havel-Winkel you can find beavers, otters and numerous frogs and newts, ospreys and sea eagles. Various species of wild geese and terns have their breeding grounds here. One special protected area is the Naturpark Drömling, where you can observe grassland birds, such as the curlew, lapwing and snipe. There are also birds of prey, owls, storks and cranes, as well as numerous amphibians and bats. Rare species have also settled in the Colbitz-Letzlinger Heath, which may only be entered in a few places due to its military use. Snakes such as the adder and smooth snake crawl through the heath landscape, birds of prey such as the marsh harrier still live here and with a little luck you might even encounter a hoopoe.