Extremadura - birds

European Roller Coracias garrulus © John Muddeman

The combination of such diverse geography and habitats in the Extremadura region make it one of the best in Europe for wildlife, especially birds. To put it into perspective, 74.1% of the total surface area qualifies under International IBA criteria (Important Bird Areas), the highest for any geo-political area in Europe, while considering just Cáceres, this rises to >90%! While 44 species of international conservation concern are represented in the area, the real 'stars' in this stage are some of the rarest and most threatened species in Europe: 38 - 40 pp. pairs of Spanish Imperial Eagles are found (of the 195 - 200 pp. that exist), concentrated in the Monfragüe and Sierra de San Pedro areas; 640 pp. of Eurasian Black Vulture breed almost exclusively in Monfragüe and the Sierra de San Pedro; c. 90 pp. of Bonelli's Eagle are spread widely across the region (especially the Sierra de San Pedro and Orellana areas); 170-175 pp. Long-eared Owl Asio otus © John Muddeman of Black Stork (60% of the Iberian total are concentrated in the Monfragüe and Jerez de los Caballeros areas); and an estimated 6900 Great Bustards (of the c. 24 500 in Spain) are found widely across the plains.

Raptors

Not surprisingly, Extremadura is one of the Spanish strongholds for diurnal raptors, including breeding Honey Buzzard, Black-winged, Black and Red Kites, Egyptian (c. 180 pp.) and Griffon Vultures (c. 1300 pp.), Marsh, Hen and Montagu's Harriers, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Short-toed, Golden (c. 125 pp.) and Booted Eagles, Lesser (= 3 500 pp.) and Common Kestrels, Eurasian Hobby and Peregrine (c. 50 pp. concentrated in Las Villuercas, Sierra de Gredos and Las Hurdes). Winter visitors include a few Osprey and Merlin as well as boosting the number of Red Kite, Marsh and Hen Harriers, Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrels and Peregrines. Nocturnal raptors are well represented too: Barn, Scops, Eagle and Little Owl are all widespread, with Tawny Owl widespread in more humid habitats and small numbers of Long-eared Owl present.

Pseudosteppe Birds and more

Other pseudosteppe birds are also very well represented, though reliable figures on their numbers are difficult to come by. Little Bustard, Stone-curlew, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Roller, Bee-eater, Calandra and Short-toed Larks and Black-eared Wheatear are all present, with Collared Pratincole and Gull-billed Tern locally in evidence Common Crane Grus grus © John Muddeman near river valleys and reservoirs and Great Spotted Cuckoos along the edges. Sadly, modern farming methods appear to be the main cause of steep declines in the numbers of nearly all these species and given current EC farming policies there appears to be no simple way of reversing the trend away from changes in land use and creeping intensification. Only Spanish Sparrows, feeding in autumn in the rice fields and breeding in small plantations and dehesa in the spring seem to be benefiting noticeably.

The area has far more on offer though than just these highlights. White Storks are a common sight, with c. 11 500 pp., making this the highest number of any Autonomous Community in Spain, nesting even right in the centre of larger towns and cities. The dehesa and scrub are home to a plethora of species, including showy Iberian Azure-winged Magpies and Hoopoes, to rather dowdier Thekla Lark and Short-toed Treecreeper, with Mediterranean warblers in the form of Zitting Cisticola, Western Orphean, Melodious, Spectacled, Subalpine and Sardinian all present. The acorns are not just of importance to the pigs however, since 45 - 70 000 Common Cranes Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla © John Muddeman come annually to winter in the area (up to 75% of the European population), with these acorns being one of the main sources of food for them. Spilt grain in rice and maize fields are now of major importance to these birds too at certain times, and incredible concentrations of up to 10 000 birds have been seen at one area in S Cáceres.

Sierras, River Valleys and Wetlands

Rocky outcrops in the sierras and river valleys are also of crucial importance, from breeding raptors and Black Storks, White-rumped Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear and Rock Bunting, through to wintering Alpine Accentor and even the occasional stray Wallcreeper! Monfragüe Natural Park (in the process of being upgraded to National Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodia © John Muddeman Park status) is easily the best-known example of this, though many others exist.

A few wetlands are also magnets to bird life. Little Bittern, Night and Purple Herons, a few pairs of secretive Spoonbills and Savi's and Great Reed Warblers have found a few corners to their liking alongside two relative newcomers, the delightful Squacco Heron and the almost absurd-looking Purple Swamp-hen. Remarkably as well, a new reservoir, only 8 years old has become extremely attractive to wintering waterfowl, with peaks counts of 100 000 birds making it the third most important site in Spain after Doñana and the Ebro Delta! Tragically however, this was created in a small valley which used to house the largest Cattle Egret colony in the western Palearctic (c. 8 000 pp.) and is destined to supply water for a macro-irrigation project which is destroying a large area of Corn Bunting
Miliaria calandra © John Muddeman agricultural steppe rich in Lesser Kestrels, both bustards and Black-bellied Sandgrouse amongst others.

High altitude areas of the Sistema Central hold a very different suite of species, including breeding Bluethroat, Rock Thrush and Ortolan Bunting, with the distinctive Iberian races of Green Woodpecker and Pied Flycatcher present in the upper woodlands along with Western Bonelli's Warbler, and in pines, abundant Crested Tit and Firecrest.

While this is obviously a brief overview of the area, further information is available on the website of the main conservation NGO operating in the area ADENEX and general information available for Spanish birds on the SEO/BirdLife website. For a complete list of species recorded in the region and their statuses, please see the list of the local birdwatching group, GOCE, where further details of recent bird sightings and information of interest about the area can be found.