Szentegát Forest Nature Reserve
The Drava Lowland is an interesting section of the Great Hungarian Plain. The Szentegát Ősbükkös (’Ancient beech wood’) Forest Reserve is located in its north-western part.
A small part of the area is covered with oak-ash-elm gallery forest, but predominantly it is a Turkey oak – pedunculate oak association. The beech associations, which have by now become transformed, are found wedged into the latter. There are 14 protected plant species in the reserve area. Its botanical importance is shown by 4 orchid species (bird's nest orchid, lesser butterfly orchid, common twayblade, broadleaf helleborine), 3 fern species (spinulose wood fern, soft shield fern and hard shield fern) and mezereon, a species quite rare in the lowlands. The black woodpecker makes its nest in the centuries-old beech trees, which holes are usually occupied the following year by our only hole-nesting native pigeon species, the stock dove. Other notable nesters in the area are the black kite, the honey buzzard, and the mistle thrush.
Declared to be protected: 6/1993. (III.09.) KTM r.
Size of the protected area: 234.8 ha