Flora s and a good sheltering and feeding site for various bird species. Due to its diverse geological and hydrological conditions and the mosaic distribution of various types of habitats, the location of the park is also one of the main reasons for the great variety of
animals and
plants. The park falls
phytogeographically within the
Illyrian deciduous forests terrestrial
ecoregion of the
Palearctic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub. The availability of water in forms of rivers, lakes and wetlands, influenced by the configuration of the terrain, has a great impact on the biodiversity of this area. The vertebrate
flora of the park consists of more than 800 up to 900 species, which constitute 27% of the total number of species in Albania. The shallow coastal lagoons are rocky with extensive
mussel beds and the water depth is higher than in other areas. The
beech marten thrives in the edges of the woodlands, and open hillsides of the park. The
golden jackal and
red fox are typically to be found in the
grasslands feeding primarily on small rodents, while the
grey wolf occurs only during winter in the park. Outstanding is the presence of the
otter, found in the streams and lakes, that is protected by international conventions. The coastal waters around the park are frequented by
dolphins such as the
common bottlenose dolphin,
short-beaked common dolphin and occasionally by the
striped dolphin. The park provides one of the last remaining nesting habitat for the endangered
mediterranean monk seal that is present in the rocks and
caverns of the park.
Sea turtles are not really that uncommon in the shallow coastal waters of the park. is often found in the wet and dry areas of the park. The park is rich in bird life with over 246 species living in different habitats throughout the territory. Most important bird inhabiting the park include the
golden eagle,
peregrine falcon,
rock partridge,
golden oriole and
common buzzard. The bays and estuaries along the
Ionian Sea Coast are a wintering destination for important birds. The
wetlands serve as feeding and resting-places for the
common pochard,
great cormorant,
great crested grebe,
eurasian coot and
black-headed gull. The
reed beds are used by
common moorhen,
water rail,
hen harrier,
western marsh harrier,
moustached warbler and
remiz pendulinus. The
marshes offer feeding sites for the
little egret,
grey plover,
european golden plover and
dunlin. Most of the waterbirds are concentrated in the coastal marshes such as the
eurasian curlew,
common redshank and
sandwich tern. 10 species of
amphibians are documented, although those species exist in large numbers, mostly inhabiting the
forests and bushes. The most common species of amphibians include the
fire salamander,
northern crested newt,
common toad and
greek stream frog. The
reptile diversity at Butrint is also rich, higher than any other protected area in the region. A total of 25 species have been inventoried. They are represented by
balkan green lizard,
slowworm and
aesculapian snake. In regard to the
sea, the park's
bodies of water are frequented by 105 species of
fish. The most abundant species include the
flathead grey mullet,
thinlip mullet,
thicklip grey mullet,
european eel,
european hake and
crucian carp. == Attractions ==