Vendicari marshes are famous as the place where acquatic migratory birds stop. Of course this does not mean that Ducks, Herons, Flamingos are always as plentiful in number or as easily watched as in a zoo. We need to be patient and it takes time to run into some of them. Moreover, you have to be properly equipped with a binocular and handbook helping you to identify european birds as well. It is always advisable to move around in small group in the early mornings or late afternoons. The birds species which have been seen passing through the Reserve up to now, are beyond 200 in numbers. Each season has its tipical guests.

Autumn, from august onwards, is the best period to watch big Wading Birds: in half dried ponds groups of Grey motionless Herons are seen together with white Spoonbill and little egrets, more rarely Swans and Flamingos. In the area of muddy and shallow water, groups of small Wading Birds move very frantically. A lot of them come back from the artic area where they nest.

From November to March, when the level of water rises up, the ponds are full of hundreds, sometimes thousands of ducks and Coots. It is easy to spot the Coots; they are black coloured, they move in compact group and look for food underwater. Among the most common ducks there are the big and white black coloured "Volpocche" and the green emerald headed Mallard.
Sea-gulls are numerous in winter season. Some Black Cormorant is often placed with its wide opened wings on the Big marsh. The spring migration (march - may) with birds on their way back from Africa to Europe, can be surprisingly extraordinary on some days or a complete failure on others! If the water or the weather condition oblige birds to stop for a while, then you can see a large number of wading birds such as Little egrets, Spoonbills and the nearly black coloured and bent beaked Plegadis falcinellus, hundreds of Teals, small ducks with white eyebrows, a lot of Falcons, the same mud-dwellings which can be observed in autumn. The flocks stop in spring season only for a very short time, as they are strongly attracted by their still far away areas of reproduction!

Among the limited number of water birds which stop to build a nest in Vendicari, there is the "Italian knight". From the hut of the Big marsh you can easly see this white and black coloured, very elegant bird with its long red legs, while it is busy in building its nest, in the brooding place, in order to defend the newly born birds from any possible attack by sea-gulls and "Gazze".

During summer season, the ponds turn half dry again and they look lifeless, although some Airon is present from time to time and among the big variety of sea-gulls the rare "Gabbiano corso" can be seen. In Vendicari there are not only birds but also Fishes, Amphibians, Reptiles and Mammals. Among Amphibians is worth mentioning the green Tood rarer than the common Tood. Among the nine species of reptiles the ret snake (Zamenis gemonensis) can be more frequently observed. It is an average size snake which is also called Milord, thanks to its elegant black colouring; and there is also the leopardian coluber the most beautiful european snake. There are pond turtles in several places but it is difficult to watch them. Among Mammals the wild Rabbit, the Fox are greatly present in the area but not always easly seen. It often happens to run into the Weasel hunting mice and other small mammals. The Hedgehog and the Porcupine are far more difficult to be watched. The Porcupine is very cautious, that is why it is only possible to admire its aculeoulus dropped during its nightly raids. 
There are also plentiful small ground level mammals (mice, mustiah, "crocidure") and Bats which live at night and which have been studied by analysing some droppings of the barn owl, the most beautiful nightly rapacious living in the Reserve. Likewise it is impossible for visitors to look at the wide number of invertebrates, especially arthropods (Insects, spiders, etc.) representing the figure of 92% of the animal species of the Reserve.

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