Within the Risnjak National Park area and its surrounding areas, to date 114 bird species have been registered. In the National Park itself 78 bird species nest and are mostly nesting birds which live in the forest.
One third of the nesting birds (26 species) is located on the Red List of threatened plants and animals in Croatia (Radović and col. 2004): one species (Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus) has the status of endangered species (EN), two species (the Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrines and the Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium passerinum) have the status of vulnerable (VU), eight species are considered near threatened (NT) and 13 species have the status of least concern (LC) in Croatia.
At the European level, four species have the status of vulnerable, one is considered rare and ten species have the status of species whose population in Europe is decreasing. Twelve nesting bird species are listed in Appendix I of the EC Birds Directive, and 59 species in Appendix II in The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention).
Four species have been selected for monitoring: the Ural Owl Strix uralensis, the Tawny Owl Strix aluco, the White-backed Woodpecker Picoides leucotos and the Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides. For these species, transects have been selected and main data for the future monitoring of their populations has been gathered.
