Lacul Rotbav

Lacul Rotbav is a complex of fish-farming lakes consisting of four bodies of water situated in the floodplain of the Olt River, in the north-eastern part of the village of Rotbav, Feldioara commune, Brașov County, on the border with Covasna County. The area formed on former marshes and wetlands typical of the lower Olt valley in the Brașov Depression, at an altitude of approximately 520 m. The Rotbav avifaunal nature reserve, covering an area of 42 hectares, was declared a protected area by Government Decision no. 2151 of 30 November 2004 and forms part of the Natura 2000 site Dumbrăvița–Rotbav–Măgura Codlei (ROSPA0037), designated in October 2007 for the conservation of 149 bird species. The area is informally known as the "Carpathian Delta" owing to its remarkable ornithological diversity. The aquatic vegetation is dominated by reeds and bulrushes, which provide essential nesting and feeding habitats. Among the observable species are coots, mallards, garganeys, reed warblers and marsh warblers, kingfishers, little egrets, squacco herons and black-crowned night herons. Within the broader wetland area, a European-funded project worth over 46 million lei has been implemented to create small islands and improve nesting conditions, and is regarded as a replicable model for wetland areas across Romania. The complex is best visited during the spring and autumn migration periods, when the number and variety of bird species observable from the lake shores are at their highest.