National Symbols of Lithuania - Birds and Animals

Birds and Animals

The White Stork (gandras) was declared the national bird of Lithuania in 1973. Lithuanians believe that storks bring harmony to the families on whose property they nest; they have also kept up the tradition of telling their children that storks bring babies. Stork Day is celebrated on March 25 with various archaic rituals: gifts for children, attributed to the storks, such as fruits, chocolates, pencils, and dyed eggs, are hung on tree branches and fences; snakes are caught, killed and buried under the doorstep; straw fires are lit. Notably, Lithuania is a beneficial and important habitat for these birds: it has the highest known nesting density in the world.

Other birds of note are the common cuckoo (gegutė) - its call is said to sweep away the last traces of winter, and the month of May (gegužės mėnuo) is named for this bird. The rock pigeon (balandis) is commemorated in the month of April (balandžio mėnuo).

Lithuania's special animals include the aurochs, the elk, the wolf (vilkas), and the bear (lokys). According to a popular legend, an iron wolf in Gediminas' dream encouraged the Grand Duke to establish Vilnius and make the city his capital. The Iron Wolf Mechanised Infantry Brigade (motorizuotoji pėstininkų brigada 'Geležinis vilkas') is now the core unit of the Lithuanian Army. The bear is an ancient symbol of Samogitia, one of the regions of Lithuania, and appears in the coat of arms of Šiauliai district. An elk is shown in the Lazdijai district municipality coat of arms and the aurochs is featured in the Kaunas coat of arms.