Łuknajno Lake

Łuknajno [wukˈnajnɔ] (German: Lucknainer See) is a lake in the Masurian Lake District of north-eastern Poland, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. It lies approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the town of Mikołajki, close to the north-western corner of Poland's largest lake called Śniardwy. Łuknajno covers an area of 6.8 square kilometres (2.6 sq mi), and has a maximum depth of 3 metres (9.8 ft).

Łuknajno Lake
Łuknajno lake
Łuknajno Lake
Location	Masurian Lake District, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Coordinates	53°48′19″N 21°38′34″E
Basin countries	Poland
Max. length	3.3 km (2.1 mi)
Surface area	6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi)
Average depth	0.6 m (2 ft 0 in)
Max. depth	3 m (9.8 ft)
Surface elevation	115 m (377 ft)
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Luknajno Lake Nature Reserve
Designated	22 November 1977
Reference no.	166[1]

The lake is the site of a nature reserve, and since 1977 has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar site, in view of its importance as a breeding ground for water birds such as grebe, rail, moorhen, grey heron, bearded tit, white-tailed eagle, osprey, rust-coloured kite, cormorant and black tern. The lake is known since many decades as the habitat of the mute swan (Latin: Cygnus olor) – nesting there every year from a dozen to tens of dozen of pairs, and in time of moult arriving in numbers reaching up to 2,000 birds.[2] The lake is part of the larger protected area known as Masurian Landscape Park.

The bottom of the lake is 77% covered with brachiopods (Characeae), potworms (Potamogeton) and spearguns (Myriophyllum). At the banks, there is a strip of reed rush with a small admixture of narrow-leaved cattail and lake bulrush. On the southern and eastern shores, there is a strip of willow thickets and fragments of alders. This creates a favorable shelter for bird nesting and significantly enriches the biotope.[3]