Ukraine is rich in animal and plant life. About 350 species of birds and more than a hundred species of mammals live there. Add to this more than 200 species of fish, too. There are fearsome predators like wolves, foxes, wildcats, and martens and hoofed animals like roe deer, wild pigs, elk and mouflons. There are also several species of rodents like hamsters, jerboas, field mice etc. Among birds, the major species are the black and hazel grouse, owls, gulls and partridges. Migrating birds are also found in abundance, like wild geese, ducks and storks. About 385 species of wild life are listed as endangered in the Red Book of Ukraine.
As for natural vegetation, Ukraine has three main zones – Polissya (woodland and marsh), the forest-steppe and the steppe. The Polissya zone, in the northwest and north, has one quarter of it with mixed woods like oak, elm, birch, hornbeam, ash, maple, pine linden, alder, poplar, willow and beech. The forest-steppe lie south of the Polissya and only one-eighth of this zone has forests. Further south is the steppe zone which is mostly composed of treeless plains used for cultivation.
Picture Credit : Google
