Dear guest hunter,
Hungary has an outstanding role in the European hunting tourism. This is indicated by the high number of guest hunters who visit our country, by the skill of their Hungarian hosts, and by the high quality of wildlife and game that live here.
It is our responsibility to provide help and accurate information for the hunters visiting our country. For that purpose the two ministries (Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development and Ministry of Environment and Water) that currently administer hunting and nature conservation in Hungary have decided to prepare this up-to-date and correct guide for foreign hunters.
This guide summarises the hunting regulations in Hungary, and helps our guest hunters to understand Hungarian hunting customs. It contains many useful information for our prospective guest hunters about the organisation of their hunting tours, the Hungarian hunting seasons, the descriptions of animal species, the evaluation and export of trophies.
The idea of sustainable use of natural resources, including game stock, has become a widely accepted principle and it is increasingly involved in practical management. The protection of natural values is important to local as well as foreign hunters. Due to our more restrictive rules, however, the lists of protected and huntable species in Hungary differ somewhat from those proposed by international agreements. Thus, here we give an introduction to our huntable species and to those protected species that can easily be confused with the huntable ones. This guide does not include those species, however, that may be familiar to most hunters (e.g. pheasant, partridge) or may not be of importance for guest hunters (e.g. magpie, hooded crow), since there usually were no problem with the hunting of these species.
The goal of this guide is to give a set of useful information, which may help to learn and observe regulations of hunting and nature conservation in Hungary. By providing these information we would like to precede occasional contraventions; both hunting and conservation offices prefer prevention to penalty in Hungary.
The "nature conservation value" of the protected species is a juristic category in Hungary regulated by low, and when hunters kill a protected species this value may be included in the penalty. Penalty is more serious in the case of killing specially threatened species (e.g. ferruginous duck, lesser white-fronted goose); killing these species is considered a crime in Hungary. Of course, visitors who fail to keep the regulations should be penalised.
Therefore, we suggest you to read this brief guide carefully, and we also ask you to observe the Hungarian hunting rules and nature conservation rules during your hunts!
Hungary - as always - welcome our guest hunters from abroad!
| Ministry
of Agriculture and Regional Development Department of Game management and Fishery |
Ministry
of Environment and Water Nature Conservation Office |
1. The order of hunting in Hungary
Hungarian hunting rules and conditions are regulated by the law 1996/LV (laws for the protection of game, game management and hunting; abbreviated to hunting law or VTv thereafter). The regulations of VTv are in accordance with other laws regulating forestry (law 1996/LIV) and nature conservation (law 1996/LIII) in Hungary.
1.1.
Major statements of the 1996/LV hunting law
o Each animal species is part of the renewable natural resources of the Earth,
and they are indispensable parts of the ecological communities. Thus, the
main aims of the VTv are to maintain natural populations of the huntable animals
in Hungary, to protect their habitats, to manage the game populations and
to reduce the damages caused by game populations.
o In Hungary, the game is owned by the State, and the hunting right is owned
by the owner of the land.
2. Conditions of hunting in Hungary for foreign citizens
2.1.
Personal conditions
Hunting is allowed in Hungary to every foreign citizen who is at least 18
years old, has a valid hunting weapon license, and has a valid hunting license
obtained from the Hungarian hunting authority.
2.1.1.
The hunting license
The hunting license (see Appendix 1) gives the right to hunt on the hunting-grounds
of those owners who are listed in the license.
The hunting license is valid for one of the following two time periods:
o 30 days
o one year.
The guest hunters pay a fee for the hunting license. The license can be obtained
either directly by the guest hunter, by the representative of the guest hunter,
or through the hunting company that has entered into a hunting contract with
the guest hunter.
2.1.2.
Who can obtain a hunting license?
Hunting license can be obtained by foreign citizens at least 18 years of age,
and having:
o a valid hunting contract* or a letter of invitation for guest hunting
o a license for the import of the hunting weapon (or hunting-bow or birds
of prey)*
o a hunting weapon license (or license for keeping hunting-bow or birds of
prey) that is valid in his or her own country
o a valid hunter's liability insurance for compensating the occasional damages
caused during the hunting (it has to cover the period for that the hunting
license is valid)*
(* indicates items provided by the hunting agency organising the tour of the guest hunter)
2.1.3.
Who has the right to supervise the hunting activity of foreign citizens?
o Inspectors of the County Agricultural Office Hunting and Fishing Inspectorate.
o The nature conservation authorities. In Hungary, these are the head-offices
of the National Parks. There is a guard service in each of our National Parks.
The members of this guard services are official representatives of the nature
conservation authority, who have a wide variety of rights to take action in
appropriate cases. Within the areas administered by the National Parks, the
members of the guard services are allowed:
- to check whether people observe nature conservation regulations during their
activities,
- to warn, to impede, to prove identity of, and to initiate an action against
people who fail to keep nature conservation regulations and violate natural
values by their actions,
- to impede and prove identity of persons who are thoroughly assumed to possess
nature conservation values obtained in illegal ways, and to examine the packages
of these person,
- to impede (with keeping traffic rules) and examine vehicles that are thoroughly
assumed to carry nature conservation values obtained in illegal ways, and
to prove the identity of the driver and the passengers of the vehicle,
- in protected areas, to check the hunter's hunting licence, hunting weapon
licence, licence for hunting with birds of prey, hunting-bow licence, and
the identifier of killed big game,
- to confiscate either the tools used for illegal hunting (and for other activities
violating nature conservation values), and the nature conservation values
obtained by illegal ways, from those persons who are observed or can thoroughly
be assumed to take illegal actions,
- to impede, to arrest or to take a person to the nearest police station,
when that person was observed to take a criminal action or he or she resists
the measures taken by the guard,
- to apply force against persons who resist the legal measures of the guard,
and to take away their guns and other tools that can violate life, and to
take these guns and tools to the police station,
- to impose penalty on site in specific cases regulated by distinct laws.
o The police.
2.1.4.
The letter of invitation
Foreign citizens may hunt in Hungary through a hunting contract (or letter
of invitation). Thus, the registered hunting company that organises the tour
has to mail to the guest a letter of invitation (Appendix 2), in which the
office declares the name of the guest hunter entering into a hunting contract
with the host. The guest hunters should present this letter for the Hungarian
custom authorities when applying for a license for the import (and export)
of their hunting weapon.
2.1.5.
The import (and export) of hunting weapon in Hungary
The license for the import (and export) of hunting weapon can be obtained
from the Hungarian custom authorities, and the license is provided when the
prospective guest hunter presents his or her valid letter of invitation (the
applicant must be indicated by name), a hunting-gun license that is valid
in the visitor's own country (or equivalent certification), presents his or
her valid passport and pays a custom fee. The license is valid for 90 days,
thus hunting-guns must not be kept in Hungary for a longer period.
Important!
This license must be presented when leaving Hungary and it must be left in
the office of the border station where you cross the border! When visitors
fail to observe this regulation the Hungarian custom authorities will bring
an action against them.
2.1.6.
Contract with the hunting company that organise the hunting tour
Only written contracts between the host office and the guest hunter can be
accepted as a valid one (foreign trade contract).
2.2. Hunting rules
2.2.1.
Hunting-guns, ammunitions, and tools
The hunting law permits hunters in Hungary to kill game by one of the following
three ways: (1) by hunting-gun that is legally accepted for hunting and has
a barrel at least 45 cm long, (2) by hunting-bow, or (3) by a trained bird
of prey.
For big game the decree (FM 30/1997) allows rifle ammunitions with at least
2500 Joule energy at muzzle (except roe deer, for that the minimum allowed
energy of the ammunitions is 1000 Joule at the muzzle).
In Hungary, shotguns can be used to hunt only for small game (except wild
boar that also can be killed by slugs). According to Hungarian practice the
following pellet sizes are used for the different game species, that are also
recommended for the use of our guest hunters:
o
hare 3.0-3.5 mm diameter
o pheasant 3.0-3.5 mm diameter
o ducks, coots 3.0-3.5 mm diameter
o geese 3.5-4.0 mm diameter
o small predatory mammals 3.5-4.0 mm diameter
o partridge, woodcock,
wood pigeon, collared dove 2.1-2.5 mm diameter
Only
three cartridges can be inserted in semi-automatic shotguns.
It is legal to hunt by hunting-bow in Hungary, however, for red deer, fallow
deer, mouflon, roe deer and wild boar the required lower power limit of the
bow is 222.7 Newton and the use of hunting edge is also required.
Tools considered illegal for hunting include:
o automatic and semi-automatic rifles, and rifles that are suitable for the
use of ammunitions of 0.22 mm calibre and ammunition with less than 40 mm
shell length
o for big game (red deer, fallow deer, roe deer) illegal tools include shotguns
(except wild boar, see above)
o silencer
o
electric optical devices designed for night-time observations
o electric acoustic devices that can be used for the deception of game
o artificial scents and pheromones and live decoys to attract game
o reflectors (except night hunting of wild boar for game damage reducing purposes,
and night hunting of red fox, with the special license of the hunting authority)
o poisoned and explosive arrows
o cross-bow
o any tools that differ from the hunting-bow and arrow described above
2.2.2.
The order of hunting
Hunting is allowed only by those ways that are not illegal by the Hungarian
hunting law, and that are in accordance with the order of the hunting. Hunters
participate in hunting at their own risk. They are liable to follow the orders
of the persons who bear the responsibility of the hunting (leader of the hunt,
accompanying host hunter).
Hunters should be excluded from hunting if they are under the influence of
alcohol or any other substance that reduce their ability to conduct hunting
in a proper way, or if their state is inappropriate in other ways for safe
hunting.
Important
rule:
Hunters must not use their hunting-weapon (or hunting-bow) before they unambiguously
recognise the game for that they have the permission to hunt, and before they
assess that their shooting will not violate the health and properties of others
around them!
Guest hunters can participate in individual hunting or in collective hunting (with three or more participants) in Hungary. During the course of individual hunt the guest hunter must be guided by an accompanying host hunter.
2.2.2.1.
Hunting methods
Individual hunts:
o stalking
o shooting from hide
o from horse carriage or sledge
o shooting from boat
Collective hunting:
big game:
o mixed drive, or
o driven hunt
winged game:
o rough shooting, or
o driven shoot
For
big game a mixed drive hunt is defined as a collective hunt with at least
three, and at most six hunters, and with the participation of ten beaters.
No dogs are allowed.
During individual hunts for big game hunters have to use binoculars.
2.2.2.2.
What hunting methods can be used for specific game?
Only individual hunting methods are permitted for the following game:
o big game: red deer stag, fallow deer stag, roe deer (buck, doe, kid), mouflon
ram, sika deer (stag, hind, calf)
o small game: woodcock
Both
individual and collective hunting methods are permitted for the following
games:
o big game: red deer (hind, calf), fallow deer (hind, calf), mouflon (ewe,
lamb) (these games can only be hunted by mixed drive and must not be hunted
by driving!) wildbore (also in driven hunt)
o small game: rabbit, red fox, muskrat, raccoon dog, golden jackal, raccoon,
bean goose, white-fronted goose, huntable ducks, collared dove, wood pigeon,
hooded crow magpie, jay, polecat, stone marten, badger
Only collective hunting methods are permitted for the following games:
o hare, pheasant, partridge
2.2.2.3.
Body postures of game when the animals may be shot
o small game: on wing, hare: in run
o big game: only while standing (except wild boar)
o injured big game: both in standing and in run
o when hare is hunted by hunting-bows shooting is not restricted to running
animals
2.2.2.4.
Important rules for handling the hunting weapon
o Before the use of a hunting weapon it must be checked whether the gun is
loaded, there is any foreign material in the barrel of the gun, and, in the
case of shotgun with visible hammer, whether the hammer is triggered.
o Loaded weapons must be safened, carried on shoulder or in hand, with muzzle
directing upward and with untriggered hammer.
o Hunting-guns must always be handled in a way that accidental firing cannot
harm or damage properties of others.
o Hunting-guns can only be unsafened (i.e. riffle trigger fastened) immediately
before a shooting.
o If the weapon is not fired, then it must be safened and rifle trigger unfastened
immediately.
o It is forbidden to follow the game with the weapon across the line of beaters
or hunters.
o It is forbidden to leave the shooting stand before the end of the drive.
o Hunters must not shoot after the end of the drive. Hunters shooting after
the end of a drive are excluded from the hunting by the leader of the hunting.
o Hunters must not leave their hunting weapon unguarded.
2.2.2.5.
Rules for loading and unloading the hunting weapon
The hunting-gun is loadable when
o the hunter is in his or her shooting stand
o the drive has already started
o or when loading is permitted by the accompanying host hunter
The
hunters must unload their hunting-guns
o when the drive has been finished
o before the hunters go up or come down the high seat
o before leaving the shooting stand or hide
o before getting into a vehicle
o while crossing obstacles in the field (e.g. fence, ditch)
o when the hunting-gun breaks down
o when unloading is required by the leader of the hunt or by the accompanying
host hunter
Those people who fail to keep hunting rules and commands should be warned
by the leader of the hunting, and in more serious cases they are excluded
from the hunt. The leader of the hunt has to use unambiguous signals to mark
the end of the drive.
Hunters must not leave their hides or shooting stands during the hunt until
a pre-defined time or until the end-signal of the drive. In dark, hunters
have to continuously use pre-decided acoustic and light signals when they
approach the position of other hunters.
When hunters travel or stay in inhabited areas, travel by public transport
and cross hunting grounds other than their own, their hunting weapons must
be unloaded and carried in case.
2.2.2.6.
Hunting from boat
For the hunting of waterfowl hunters are allowed to use only boats that are
driven by oars. The boat:
o has to be in excellent technical state
o has to be stable enough to provide safe balance while shooting
o has fixed sitting places for both the driver of the boat and the hunter
o only two person are allowed to be in the boat during hunting: the hunter
plus the driver of the boat (gun dog may also be in the boat)
2.2.2.7.
The following hunting methods are illegal in Hungary:
o shooting from engine-powered vehicle or from any moving vehicle
o shooting from underground ambush hole, except when hunting waterfowl
o shooting from boats and other aquatic vehicle, except when hunting waterfowl
o hunting with the use of reflectors
o shooting on red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and mouflon during the course
of a driven hunt
o hunting by pack of hounds
2.2.2.8.
The borrowing of hunting weapon
Foreign hunters have to use their own hunting weapon for hunting in Hungary.
Their hunting licence is valid only if the hunters also have a licence for
importing their hunting-guns (see section 2.1.2.).
2.2.3.
Big game identifiers
An identifier system has recently been introduced for big game in Hungary.
Hunters have to put these identifiers on the body of every big game at the
time the game has been killed. Furthermore, an identifier has to be put on
the trophy of the game when the hunter removes the head of the animal. Identifiers
contain the following information: year, species, sex of the animal and a
serial number. The identifier has to be on the body or on the trophy of the
animal when the guest hunters leave Hungary at the end of their hunting tour!
The presence of the identifier may be checked by custom officers! The serial
number is noted in the hunting licence and it is also noted during the judgement
of the trophy.
2.2.4.
Trophy judgement
In Hungary, hunters have to submit the following trophies for judgement: the
antler of red deer stag, fallow deer stag and roe deer buck; the horn of mouflon
ram; the tusk of wild boar if its size average exceeds 16 cm. Trophies have
to be submitted for judgement within 30 days after the killing of the game.
Who
can judge the trophy:
o the judgement committee of the local hunting inspectorate (in each county)
o the judgement committees of Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Vas, Zala, Fejér,
Tolna and Pest counties can judge trophies from all counties of Hungary.
If
the judges find that the game has been killed in improper way, the hunter
has to pay a penalty and certification of the judgement can only be obtained
after the payment. The penalty is payable by the party possessing the hunting
right where the trophy animal has been killed.
Trophies of high international credit (IP) have to be submitted by the hunting
authority to the ministry for further judging, in order to declare that the
trophy is a national value. Trophies have to be submitted for this second
judgement within eight days after the first judgement.
Minimum IPs for that hunters have to submit the trophy for further judgement:
red deer 240 IP
fallow deer 200 IP
mouflon 220 IP
roe deer 170 IP
wild boar 130 IP
The hunting authority certify the submission, judgement and export of the
trophy by providing a certification with the serial number of the identifier,
a signature and a stamp.
The hunting authority marks the judged trophies (except tusks of wild boars)
by drilling a hole into the base of the right antler.Trophy judgement certificate
issued by the hunting authority must be provided when requested at the custom
or to any authority elible to inspect the origin of the trophy. If the hunters
have hunting license the certification has to be noted in the personal bag
list column of the hunting license.
Hunters need a permission from the hunting authorities to import the following
trophies: antler of red deer stag, fallow deer stag and roe deer buck; the
horn of mouflon ram; the tusk of wild boar (this permission is noted on the
hunting license at the time of refereeing).
The hunters have to show this permission to the custom authority when they
leave the country.
The hunting authority provide a medal and a certificate to the hunter if the
quality of the trophy reaches the medal-threshold and the game was killed
in proper way.
The hunting authority provides a duplicate of trophy to the hunter in that
case when the trophy is a national value. Then the ministry organise the display
of the trophy.
When it is declared that the trophy is a national value the hunter may submit
a claim for compensation. The maximum amount of the compensation is the fee
paid by the hunter for the hunting contract.
3. Huntable species and hunting seasons
Foreign guest hunters are allowed to hunt only when they are guided by a representative
of the host hunting organisation. Guest hunters have to follow the commands
of their guide and they are allowed to kill only that games that are permitted
by their hunting license (individual hunt for big game).
Hunters may stay unguided in the shooting station during individual and group
hunting for winged game (waterfowl, pheasant) and during collective hunting
of big games, but they have to follow accurately the commands of the leader
of the hunting (e.g. with respect to the quality and number of games they
may kill).
Since most of the problems occur during individual hunting of winged game,
we give here some help to the identification of those huntable and protected
species that may be difficult to identify in the field. We hope the number
of individuals of protected species killed by hunters can be reduced by improving
the knowledge of hunter about these species in this way.
Please read carefully the information regarding hunting seasons (Appendix
3) and the additional information provided in the footnotes (1-9). The ministry
keep the right to change these rules!
4. The import of the trophy and the killed game to abroad
The host office provides the documentation needed to the import from Hungary,
but visitors are encouraged to check the rules that regulate the transport
of the trophies in their own countries!
4.1.
To the import of the trophies (antler, horn, tusk, feather) the followings
are required:
o the receipt provided by the host office that organised the hunting tour
o Uniform Costumes Clearance (for the citizens of EU countries)
o official veterinary certification about the origin of the trophy/meat
o "Anhang B" for export to EU countries
o certification of the trophy-judgement provided by the hunting authority
o a licence provided by the hunting authority to export trophies derived from
a perished game or indirect capturing as well as the fallen antlers
4.2.
Meat and skin:
Since EU countries have strict regulation for the transport of these materials,
we suggest that hunters should contact professional exporters when they are
to carry the meat or skin of the killed game.
4.3.
The transport of killed game over the area of Hungary, when it is a protected
species in Hungary
o By regulation of the § 43. of Act No. LIII on nature conservation (section
(2) i)), permission is needed from National Parks, closest to the place of
entry and departure, to the transport of species that is protected in Hungary
or that is included in international agreements.
o For species included in the Washingtonian Agreement (CITES), only those
animals can be transported over the country for that the transporter obtained
a licence specified by the Agreement. If they have no such licence, the Nature
Conservation Office may confiscate the animal or the trophy (decree 4/1990
(XII. 7.) of the KTM).
5. Important huntable and protected birds
5.1. Species that can easily be confused with protected species
It is difficult to recognise some birds in the field, especially when visibility
is weak and birds move quickly (e.g. during hunting waterfowl at dusk or dawn).
This brief guide provides descriptions of field characters, voice and behaviour
that may help the identification of some confusable species.
 |
Bean
goose (Anser fabalis) |
| White-fronted
goose (Anser albifrons) Smaller than the bean goose, with fast flight. Adult differs from greylag goose and bean goose in large, white patch at base of bill, irregular black bars on breast, and orange legs. Upper flanks edged white, forming distinct line; vent and under tail-coverts white. Juveniles without white forehead, black bars on belly absent, plumage browner and more mottled. Their voice in flight is a high-pitched and two-syllable note: "lillik" or "lilili". Outside breeding season, frequents large lowland pastures, meadows, marshes, or arable fields under clover and cereals. They can be find in greatest number in the eastern part of Hungary, mostly during autumn and winter. |
 |
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Common
teal (Anas crecca) In all ducks, there are differences between the breeding plumage and the winter plumage. During breeding males have a bright and conspicuous plumage, but during winter males, females and juveniles are alike having a similar brownish plumage. This similarity may make it difficult to recognise them. Most ducks have a visible, colourful patch on their wings (speculum), that can be used for identification throughout the year. It is especially helpful in the identification of breeding birds. The common teal is the smallest European duck. Male with conspicuous, horizontal white band on shoulders, chestnut brown head with broad green eye patch which extends back to the nape, yellow-buff patch on either side of black undertail; upperparts and flanks vermiculated grey, underparts white, breast cream with dark spots. At long distance male appears grey with dark head. Both sexes with speculum half metallic-green and half black, bordered by whitish bars at front and back. Female with mottled brown upperparts and flanks, darker crown; underparts spotted in summer, whiter in winter. Very agile on the wing, flies rapidly and erratically in compact flocks. Male has a low voice of "kri-kri-kri", female a high, sharp "queck". In breeding season prefers moorland, heath pools and bogs, often nesting well away from water. Outside breeding season on all sorts of fresh, brackish or saline waters. They are in Hungary from late summer to the beginning of the winter. |
| Mallard
(Anas platyrhynchos) Male with glossy dark green head, small white collar, purplish-brown breast, vermiculated grey body, dark brown centre of back, black upper- and undertail-coverts, and white rest of tail, but two central tail feathers black and curled. Female is brown, mottled, spotted, and streaked with blackish. Both sexes with broad blue or purple speculum, edged with black and white both at front and rear, and orange legs. Female produces a deep quacking; male has a much more subdued, higher-pitched "quek", or "raehb". Adapted to a wide range of habitats and very tolerant to human presence or disturbance. One of the most important water games. Their identification is easy due to its familiarity to most hunters. |
 |
 |
Garganey
(Anas querquedula) Only a little larger than common teal but with more slender neck, flatter crown, and more straight bill. Male in flight shows pale blue forewing and sharp demarcation of brown breast from vermiculated greyish flanks and white belly. Adult male with broad white stripe extending from eye to nape; speculum glossy dark green, bordered with white in front and behind. Female resembles female teal but paler, with whiter throat, more distinct dark eye stripe; in flight with greyish forewing and indistinct greenish-brown speculum. Garganeis are mostly found in flocks. Their flight is similar to that of the common teal. Male has a characteristic low, crackling call "krek-krek" and female a short "quack"; they can unambiguously recognised by heir voice. |
|
Pochard
(Aythya ferina) |
 |
 |
Goldeneye
(Bucephala clangula) They are winter visitors in Hungary, where they usually can be found on large lakes and rivers. Male boldly black-and-white; neck and underparts white; back and tail black, with black streaks on scapulars and edge of flanks. In male "triangular" head is black glossed green with a circular white patch between eye and black bill. In flight wings are black with a conspicuous, broad white square on inner half extending almost to the front edge of the wing and partly broken by black line extending inwards from primary coverts. Female with chocolate brown head without white patch, obscure whitish collar, mottled blue-grey upperparts, black rump, and white underparts. Generally silent, but wing feathers produce a distinctive voice when flying, which can help hunters in identification. |
|
Woodcock
(Scolopax rusticola) |
 |
 |
Wood
pigeon (Columba palumbus) Largest pigeon in the region. Plumage grey, with dark flight feathers and dark tail band. Whole chest deep vinous pink. Most obvious characters are the white spots on the sides of the neck, bordered with shiny green and pink, and the white crescentic bar on each upperwing. On feeding grounds often in large flocks, often with other pigeons and doves. |
| Collared
dove (Streptopelia decaocto) Differs from turtle dove in slightly larger size, narrow black half-collar at the back of neck and different colour of body. Upperparts drab, almost uniform pale grey-brown; in flight shoulders blue-grey; head and underparts paler and greyer, with a slight tinge of vinous-pink, especially on breast of male. Tail shows white in outer feathers if spread; seen from below, at rest or in flight, has a distinctive pattern with the distal half white and basal half dark. They are hunted mostly on foraging ground, and hunters have to carefully recognise the bird before shooting to avoid confusion with protected turtle dove or stock dove. |
 |
5.2. Protected species that can easily be confused with huntable species
 |
Lesser
white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus) Smaller, shorter-necked, and shorter-billed than white-fronted goose, with considerably larger white front reaching onto top of head. Body and rest of head uniform dusky brown; underparts with delicate banding and with few black blotches on belly and lower flanks. Small bill bright pink, with white nail; legs and feet orange; swollen yellow ring around eye visible at short distance. Closed wings extend beyond tail. Juvenile without white front and without black bars on underparts. Undisturbed white-fronted geese fly usually in V-shaped flocks, while lesser white-fronted geese fly in unorganised flocks with high rate of wing-beats. Call a distinctive note, higher-pitched and squeakier than white-front, sounding like "vivivivi". Highly endangered worldwide, thus hunters have to be especially careful to avoid shooting lesser white-fronts. In Hungary, they occur most often eastward from the Tisza river, and very rare in the western part of the country. Thus hunters may expect problems with their identification when hunting in Eastern Hungary. Nature conservation value: 250 000 HUF. |
| Greylag
goose (Anser anser) A large, big-headed, thick-billed, heavy "grey goose". Greylag differs from other "grey geese" in absence of black on bright-orange bill, flesh-coloured legs, pale grey fore-wing and rump, head and neck not being darker than body, and underparts virtually without dark bars. Their voice like a farm-yard goose. They can most easily be confused with been goose. By night the two species can reliable be separated by their voice. Nature conservation value: 50 000 HUF. |
 |
 |
Wigeon
(Anas penelope) Male with chestnut-red head and yellow-buff forehead and crown, vermiculated grey back and flanks, pink-brown breast, and black under-tail; square-cut patch on underside pure white. Large white area on forewing conspicuous in flight; speculum dark green and broadly bordered with black. Female differs from female mallard in smaller size, smaller grey bill, more rounded head, pointed tail, and more rufous plumage. Speculum dusky or blackish with green gloss and enclosed between white wing-bars. Underparts white. In flight shows characteristic white forewing and belly, and pointed tail. Male produces a distinctive, musical, far-carrying whistling note: "weeuw". Nature conservation value: 2000 HUF. |
| Gadwall
(Anas strepera) A difficult species for identification, rather similar to female and non-breeding male mallard. Smaller and more slender than mallard, with more abrupt forehead. Both sexes with white speculum which is sometimes visible at rest and conspicuous in flight, bordered at front by black band and chestnut wing coverts. Male uniform dark grey with black upper and under tail-coverts. Female has a "quack" like female mallard but less loud and coarse; male has a deep, nasal croack: "nhek". Prefer fairly shallow, standing or slow-flowing open water with good cover. Rare in Hungary. Nature conservation value: 50 000 HUF. |
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Pintail
(Anas acuta) Slender, long-necked dabbling duck with pointed tail. Male with chocolate brown head and upper neck, conspicuous white neck and breast, and long pointed tail. Upperparts and flanks grey. Female difficult to distinguish from similarly coloured females of Mallard and Gadwall but has slender body and neck, pointed tail, indistinct speculum and grey bill. In flight, white trailing edge on secondaries. Usually silent. Nature conservation value: 50 000 HUF. |
| Shoveler
(Anas clypeata) Differs from all other ducks by very large, spatulate bill. Upperparts of male largely black and white, with shining green head, chestnut belly and flanks, white breast and pale blue fore-wing. In flight or in the water conspicuous pattern of black-white-black-white-black. Female brownish like female mallard, but with less distinct head pattern. Swims with fore-parts deeply sunk and heavy bill inclined downwards. In flight the disproportionate size of bill make the wings appear set far back. Nature conservation value: 10 000 HUF. |
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Ferruginous
Duck (Aythya nyroca) Somewhat smaller and more delicate than tufted duck. Male with rich chestnut head, neck, and breast; sides and flanks paler; upperparts black-brown and wings glossed dull green; conspicuous white undertail; belly and eye white, legs black. In flight with conspicuous, broad white band along whole length of hind wing. Female duller and browner than male and with brown eyes. Generally silent; male has a low, grating wheeze. Prefers secluded pools and lagoons rich in submerged and floating vegetation and fringed by dense stands of emergent plants. Highly endangered worldwide, hunters have to be especially careful to avoid shooting this species. Nature conservation value: 100 000 HUF. |
| Tufted
duck (Aythya fuligula) In male pure white flanks and belly contrast boldly with black of rest of plumage; long, black, pendant crest at back of head, but not always obvious at a distance. Female dark brown on upperparts, reddish brown on cheeks and neck; flanks and sides yellow-brown, belly red-brown, and breast dark brown flecked with yellow-brown; crest rudimentary. In winter, female has white belly and white patch around base of bill. Both sexes have broad, white band along entire length of hind wing in flight. In winter they stay on larger rivers, reservoirs and lakes, and they are often in mixed flocks with goldeneyes. The two species can be separated in flight by their distinct wing bands: tufted ducks have a band along the entire length of the wing while goldeneyes have a square-shaped white speculum. Nature conservation value: 10 000 HUF. |
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Quail
(Coturnix coturnix) A tiny partridge-like bird which is usually detected by characteristic call of male. Body mainly sandy, barred with dark brown and pale buff above; underparts paler and flanks streaked with buff and white. Crown dark brown with buff streak down centre; buff stripe from above eye down to base of neck. Male has buffish or chestnut throat bordered by black band and with black central stripe, the last being absent in the female. They are usually seen in flight, when they are to escape from the vicinity of hunters or their dogs. Usually solitary, larger groups are formed only on migration, e.g. before crossing the sea. Due to their small size they cannot be confused with partridge, and they can be recognised well even in flight. Characteristic, tri-syllabic call of male is a liquid "pitypalatty", which is repeated often. In the breeding season essentially a bird of agricultural country, but it occurs also on grasslands and steppe. Nature conservation value: 50 000 HUF. |
| Common
snipe (Gallinago gallinago) A medium sized wader, about one third of a woodcock. Usually stays in cover and hard to see. Most important features are the very long straight bill, the wild zig-zag flight when flushed and the call. Mainly brown and russet with black lines; head with long black and buff lines and buff lines also prominent on dark back. Breast finely streaked, underparts white. Tail barred with rufous and black, with some white on the sides. Flocks during migration, favouring marshes, wet meadows etc., but is often only seen when flushed. In Hungary they prefer open habitat where woodcock does usually not occur. When flushed its voice is a hoarse "chek-chek". During display flight in spring a persistent "chikke-chikke-chikke" and lamb-like trilling "whewhewhewhewhe", produced by the outer tail feathers of the male in diving flight. Often displaying at night. In Hungary hunters can most often see common snipes during the hunting of waterfowl. Woodcock is not huntable, however, during the hunting season of waterfowls, which decreases the chance to shoot the protected common snipe as a misidentified woodcock. Nature conservation value: 10 000 HUF. |
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Stock
dove (Columba oenas) Smaller than wood pigeon and larger than collared dove. Plumage mainly dark grey, with shiny green area on side of neck and a vinous chest. Wing with two short and indistinct black bars; tail bordered by a black band. Primaries dark. Underwings grey; wings more rounded than wood pigeon. No white in plumage. Collard dove differs from stock dove in their pale grey body coloration, long and white-banded tail, and the presence of their dark collar. Doves and pigeons are mostly hunted at the end of summer and at the beginning of autumn, when these birds stay in flocks on arable feeding grounds. Thus it may be difficult to separate protected species from the huntable ones in mixed flocks, and experience and strong self-control are essential for unambiguous identification. Nature conservation value: 50 000 HUF. |
| Turtle
dove (Streptopelia turtur) Darker and smaller than collared dove. Feathers on back dark with broad chestnut edges, giving scaly appearance. Head grey, chest deep pink, upperwings with grey field and dark flight feathers, tail dark with white rear border, especially obvious from below. Underside of wing grey. A spot on each side of neck formed by fine black and white lines. Flight fast and straight, with jerky wing beats, like collared dove. In flight this species can be distinguished from collard dove by their shorter tail and by more ornamented plumage. Often feeds in mixed flocks with collared dove on arable land, and hunters confuse the two species most often in these mixed flocks. Nature conservation value: 10 000 HUF. |
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