Fertő-Hanság National Park
( hu, Fertő-Hanság Nemzeti Park) is a national Park in North-West

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

in Győr-Moson-Sopron county. It was created in 1991, and officially opened together with the connecting Austrian Neusiedler See National Park the same year (both parks are attached to Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő). The park covers 235.88 km², and consists of two main areas. Lake Fertő is the third largest lake in Central-Europe, and the westernmost of the great continental salt lakes of

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

. Because of the shallow level of water and the prevailing wind, the size and shape of the lake changes very often. The area gives home to various kinds of birds, like the

great egret The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and ...

, purple heron, common spoonbill and

greylag goose The greylag goose or graylag goose (''Anser anser'') is a species of large goose in the waterfowl family Anatidae and the type species of the genus ''Anser''. It has mottled and barred grey and white plumage and an orange beak and pink legs. A ...

. During the migration season species of the family

Scolopacidae Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...

appear. Rare birds include

red-breasted goose The red-breasted goose (''Branta ruficollis'') is a brightly marked species of goose in the genus ''Branta'' from Eurasia. It is currently classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Taxonomy and etymology The red-breasted goose is sometimes placed ...

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Palearctic, Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diur ...

and

hen harrier The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Eur ...

. The lake is inhabited by

weatherfish Misgurnus is a genus of true loaches found in Europe and Asia. The origin of the name ''Misgurnus'' comes from the Greek word (to hate) and the Turkish (loud), a name given to them due to their habit of becoming very active during barometric ...

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

and

ziege ''Pelecus cultratus'', commonly known as the ziege, sichel, sabre carp or sabrefish, is a cyprinid fish species from Eastern Europe and adjacent Asian regions, the only one in its genus, inhabiting the lower reaches of rivers and brackish waters ...

. On the meadows west from the lake vegetation of rare plants like the yellow lady's slipper,

fly orchid ''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly ...

, the Hungarian iris and ''

Iris pumila ''Iris pumila'', sometimes known as pygmy iris or dwarf iris, probably originated as a natural hybrid between '' Iris pseudopumila'' Boissier & Heldreich and '' I. attica'' Tineo. It ranges from Austria through eastern Europe and the Balkans, in ...

'' and various butterfly species can be found, while the eastern

puszta The Hungarian Puszta () is a temperate grassland biome of the Alföld or Great Hungarian Plain. It is an exclave of the Eurasian Steppe, and lies mainly around the River Tisza in the eastern part of Hungary, as well as in the western part of t ...

areas are covered by ''

Puccinellia peisonis ''Puccinellia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, known as alkali grass or salt grass. These grasses grow in wet environments, often in saline or alkaline conditions. They are native to temperate to Arctic regions of the Northern and S ...

'', '' Aster tripolium'', '' A. pannonicum'' and ''

Suaeda maritima ''Suaeda maritima'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common names herbaceous seepweed and annual seablite. Description It is a yellow-green shrub with fleshy, succulent leaves and green flowers. It grows ...

''.

References

National parks of Hungary Geography of Győr-Moson-Sopron County Sopron Tourist attractions in Győr-Moson-Sopron County Protected areas established in 1991 1991 establishments in Hungary {{Hungary-geo-stub

See also

References