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The Vistula is the longest river in the Baltic drainage basin with its river basin covering over half of Poland's territory. Its many-kilometres-long fragments retained the character of a natural, free flowing and dynamic river, which makes the Vistula unique among large European rivers. Many of the river's segments and its tributaries still constitute a favourable environment for animals, especially species of birds which are considered rare in other parts of Europe, and are often in danger of extinction on a global scale. Meanders, oxbows, steep banks and islands, either sandy or covered with floodplain forests, are home to 76% of birds nesting in Poland.