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Why go birding in Europe? Why go birding in Spain? Why go birding in Catalonia?


Browse species by heading:

A fair question.  Why would one choose to come for a birding holiday, bird watching short break or guided bird tour in Spain?

To put it simply, Spain has the most sought-after birds in Europe - officially the greatest abundance, widest variety and highest species density of regularly seen birds in the whole continent. And many of these are rare or threatened, can only be seen in Spain or have the vast majority of their populations within the Spanish borders.

This remarkable abundance and diversity is simply due to its incredible variety of habitats and climates and its geographical location, on a natural migration route between the European and African continents.

Although Extremadura and Andalusia will spring into the minds of most world birders, actually the majority of Spain's regions contain almost all of the habitat types listed for the country as a whole. Catalonia, for instance, is one of the smallest and yet has the greatest variety of habitat. It therefore officially boasts more breeding species than anywhere else on the Iberian peninsular.

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Birding in Catalonia


If this surprises you, consider that one of the most important wetlands in Europe, The Ebro Delta, together with The Pyrenees, the dryland Steppes of Lleida and 700km of coastline are all within Catalonia’s boundary - and all within easy reach of Barcelona.

The resulting 232 regularly breeding species (90% of Spain’s as a whole) are distributed across just 30,000 km2, one quarter the size of England and one-third the size of southern Spain’s Andalucia, whose birds are dispersed across nearly 90,000 km2.

This means that, together with its location for migrants (producing 95% of Iberia's and 50% of the whole Palearctic region's recorded bird species) and the spectacular influx of birds taking advantage of its mild winters, a greater diversity of bird life is offered in such proximity nowhere else in Spain, and probably Europe.

For many, birding in Spain is the best in Europe.  And for many who’ve been here, birding in Catalonia is the best in Spain. And here are the reasons why... (next...)

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1a. the most sought-after bird species.

The Top Twenty client target species.

Bird Library:


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1. Wallcreeper

2. Lammergeier

3. Pin-tailed Sandgrouse

4.Black-bellied Sandgrouse


Highest population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 16
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Pyrenees, winters in the Garraf.

Highest population: Spain:
E.U Countries: 4
Status: SPEC 3
Endangered in Spain

Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Pyrenees.

Highest population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: SPEC 3
Vulnerable in Spain

Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Steppes.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 2
Status: SPEC 3
Vulnerable in Spain

Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Steppes.




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5. Little Bustard

6. Dupont's Lark

7. Citril Finch

8. Black Wheatear


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 5
Status:
SPEC 1; IUCN NT


Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Steppes.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 1
Status: SPEC 3;
IUCN NT

Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Spanish Steppes.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 9
Status: SPEC 4


Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Pyrenees.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Resident in the Garraf and Steppes.




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9. Snowfinch

10. Great Bustard

11. Red-necked Nightjar

12. Alpine Accentor


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 11
Status: not threatened


Guided bird tours:
Winters in the Pyrenees.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 11
Status:
SPEC 1; IUCN VU

Guided bird tours:
Spanish Steppes
(Sept-Mar).

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 2
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Steppes, Garraf;
summer migrant.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 18
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Pyrenees, Garraf; winter and spring.




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13. Great Spotted Cuckoo

14. Rock Thrush

15. Red-footed Falcon

16. Eagle Owl


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 8
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Steppes;
early summer migrant

3rd highest population
E.U. Countries: 18
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Pyrenees, Garraf; summer migrant.

Passage migrant only
Status: SPEC cat 3
IUCN NT


Guided bird tours:
Steppes and Aiguamolls.

Local knowledge needed
E.U. Countries: 32
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Steppes, Cap de Creus and Garraf; resident.


 

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17. Roller

18. W. Orphean Warbler

19. Bonelli's Eagle

20. Spectacled Warbler


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 21
Status: SPEC 2;
IUCN NT

Guided bird tours:
Steppes, Aiguamolls;
summer migrant

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 4
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
ALL on passage; Cap de Creus, summer migrant.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 7
Status: SPEC 3, Endangered in Spain

Guided bird tours: resident in Cap de Creus, Garraf.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 8
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours: Garraf,
Cap de Creus, Steppes;
summer migrant





1b. more sought-after 'tricky target' bird species.


Some target species present difficulties due to the birds' cryptic plumage, secretive or nomadic behaviour, localised distribution, inaccessible habitat or narrow window of opportunity with regards to migration.

Black Woodpecker, Moustached Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Baillon's Crake and Levantine (Yelkouan) Shearwater may fall under this category but, even if you're not using a local bird guide, Catalonia has an excellent network of reserves, roads and information. next | back


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Spotted Crake

Little Crake

White-winged Tern

Wryneck


Passage migrant only
Status: SPEC 4


Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

Passage migrant and rare breeder
Status: SPEC 4

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

Passage migrant only
Status: not threatened


Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

E.U. Countries: 33
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Aiguamolls, Garraf, Steppes; summer migrant, few overwinter.




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Great Bittern

Little Bittern

Calandra Lark

Penduline Tit


Winter visitor and Passage migrant
Status: SPEC 3; Spain CR

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

E.U. Countries: 26
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta; summer migrant, few overwinter.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 11
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Steppes
Resident.

E.U. Countries: 28
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta, Steppes;
Resident.


 


2a. a stronghold for rare and internationally threatened (IUCN red-listed) bird species.


Spain’s expansive and extremely varied habitat provides a stronghold for rare and endangered birdlife, playing host to no less than 119 (46%) of Europe's regularly breeding bird species that are facing an uncertain future according to a Birdlife International survey. IUCN red-listed species on this page are labelled, e.g. IUCN XX (explanation).

In Catalonia, over 150 species that regularly breed, winter or pass through are rare or threatened in some way, classified as having an unfavourable conservation status on a global, European or nationwide level. next | back


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Lesser Kestrel

Audouin's Gull

Balearic Shearwater

Red Kite


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 13
Status:
SPEC 1; IUCN VU

Guided bird tours:
Steppes;
early summer migrant.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 4
Status:
SPEC 1; IUCN NT

Guided bird tours:
Llobregat, Ebro Delta, Aiguamolls; Resident.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 1
Status: SPEC 4,
IUCN CR

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Llobregat, Aiguamolls, Ebro Delta.

2nd highest population
E.U. Countries: 24
Status: SPEC 2;
IUCN NT

Guided bird tours:
ALL on passage; Steppes; Resident.




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Egyptian Vulture

Black-tailed Godwit

Eurasian Curlew

Dartford Warbler


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 10
Status: SPEC 3;
IUCN EN

Guided bird tours:
Steppes, Barcelona;
summer migrant.

Non-breeder, passage, winter visitor
Status: SPEC 2;
IUCN NT

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta; all year.

Non-breeder, passage, winter visitor
Status: SPEC 2;
IUCN NT

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta; all year.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 7
Status: SPEC 2;
IUCN NT

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Cap de Creus, Garraf and the Steppes.




2b. a stronghold for Europe's rare and threatened bird species (SPEC).


In addition to the IUCN Red Listed and SPEC 1 birds that are internationally threatened, the 150+ species referred to above are categorised, for the most part, as having an unfavourable conservation status in Europe - SPEC 3, if their populations are not concentrated in Europe, or SPEC 2, if they have more than 50% of their global population within European boundaries. SPEC-listed species on this page are labelled, e.g. SPEC 2 (Explanation).

Eleonora’s Falcon, Cory’s Shearwater, Lesser Grey Shrike, Scops Owl and even White Stork are examples of the latter. next | back


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Common Crane

European Nightjar

Ortolan Bunting

W. Bonelli's Warbler


Late passage migrant, occasional winter visitor
Status:
SPEC 1

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta, Steppes.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 33
Status:
SPEC 1

Guided bird tours:
Summer Twilight Tours;
summer migrant.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 30
Status: SPEC 2

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Garraf;
summer migrant

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 10
Status: SPEC
2

Guided bird tours:
Pyrenees, Garraf, Steppes;
summer migrant




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Iberian Grey Shrike

Black Stork

Pied Avocet

Northern Lapwing


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: SPEC 2


Guided bird tours:
Resident in Steppes and Garraf.

Passage migrant only
Status: SPEC 2




Guided bird tours:
Pyrenees, Garraf, Barcelona

Passage migrant, winter visitor, rare breeder
Status: SPEC 2


Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta; all year.

Winter visitor and rare breeder
Status: SPEC 2


Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta; all year.





3. highly favourable distribution of bird species.

Limited to five or less countries in Europe (EBCC Atlas).


Many European bird species' breeding distribution is weighted heavily in favour of Spain, with twenty-seven even limited to four or less other countries - thus contributing to a species-diversity that many others lack.

For example, Balearic Shearwater breeds nowhere else in the world, Crested Coot and Dupont’s Lark breed nowhere else in Europe and Red-necked Nightjar and Black-bellied Sandgrouse breed in only one other European country.

In addition, many species, although localised to a handful of European countries outside Spain for reproduction, regularly utilise Catalonia’s food resources during the winter, on migration or when, still clothed in summer plumage, thousands of failed- and post-breeding waders arrive as June, July and August progress. next | back


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Marsh Sandpiper

Red-throated Pipit

Temminck's Stint

Caspian Tern


Passage migrant only
E.U. Countries: 4
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

Passage migrant only
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

Winter visitor, Passage
E.U. Countries: 4
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

Year-round, rare-breeder
E.U. Countries: 5
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.




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Black-shouldered Kite

Common Waxbill

Lesser Short-toed Lark

Greater Flamingo


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 2
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Rare in Steppes and Aiguamolls.

2nd highest population
E.U. Countries: 2
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Llobregat;
Resident.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: SPEC 3; Spain NT

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Ebro Delta and Steppes.

2nd highest population
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: SPEC 3; Spain NT

Guided bird tours:
Resident; Llobregat, Aiguamolls, Ebro Delta.




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Thekla Lark

Purple Swamphen

Slender-billed Gull

Spotless Starling


Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Cap de Creus, Garraf and Steppes.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 3
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Llobregat, Aiguamolls, Ebro Delta.

3rd highest population
E.U. Countries: 5
Status: SPEC 3; Spain VU

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Ebro Delta, Passage in Llobregat.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 5
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Llobregat, Ebro Delta, Steppes, Garraf.





4. highest species-density; more regularly seen birds; greater abundance.


Spain has over 530 bird species recorded and, compared to other countries like the UK that have a high percentage of rare vagrants on their official lists, Spain and Catalonia’s checklists are made-up of mostly regularly seen residents, summer breeders, winter visitors and passage migrants.

Of Europe’s approximately 500 regularly breeding species, about 20% (at least 96 species) have their highest concentrations in Spain (see below) and the country hosts the second largest populations of a further 26 species.

And these birds are also concentrated in a relatively small area.  Its 261 regularly breeding species equals five species for each 10,000km2 of land, the highest breeding bird species-density in Europe (inc. Russia). next | back


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Rock Bunting

Hoopoe

Black-eared Wheatear

Stone-curlew


Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Cap de Creus, Pyrenees, Garraf and Steppes.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Resident in Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Garraf, Steppes and Ebro Delta.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 2, Spain NT

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Garraf and Steppes;
summer migrant.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 3; Spain NT

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta, Steppes;
Resident.




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Kingfisher

Crested Tit

Sub-alpine Warbler

Collared Pratincole


Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 3, Spain NT

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta;
Resident.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 2

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Pyrenees, Aiguamolls, Garraf, Llobregat; Resident.

Highest Population: Spain
E.U. Countries: 10
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
ALL, widespread summer migrant.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 3, Spain VU

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta;
summer migrant.




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Golden Eagle

Red-legged Partridge

Red-backed Shrike

Spoonbill


Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 3, Spain NT


Guided bird tours:
Steppes and Pyrenees;
Resident.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 2

Guided bird tours:
Cap de Creus, Aiguamolls, Pyrenees, Steppes, Garraf, Llobregat; Resident.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 3


Guided bird tours:
Pyrenees, Cap de Creus;
summer migrant.

Highest Population: Spain
Status: SPEC 2; Spain VU

Guided bird tours:
Llobregat, Ebro Delta and Aiguamolls;
Resident.





5. and that's not even including...


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Bluethroat

Hawfinch

Glossy Ibis

Bee-eater


Winter visitor and Passage migrant
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat and Ebro Delta.

Winter migrant and localised breeder.
E.U. Countries: 32
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
Pyrenees, Garraf

E.U. Countries: 10
Status: SPEC 3; Spain VU

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta;
Resident.

2nd highest population
E.U. Countries: 21
Status: SPEC 3

Guided bird tours:
ALL TOURS;
summer migrant.




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Montagu's Harrier

Alpine Chough

Squacco Heron

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker


2nd highest population
E.U. Countries: 26
Status: SPEC 4; Spain VU

Guided bird tours:
Steppes, Aiguamolls, Ebro Delta; summer migrant.

2nd highest population
E.U. Countries: 13
Status: not threatened

Guided bird tours:
Pyrenees;
Resident.

2nd highest population
E.U. Countries: 13
Status: SPEC 3; Spain NT

Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Llobregat, Ebro Delta; Resident.

E.U. Countries: 33
Status: not threatened


Guided bird tours:
Aiguamolls, Pyrenees; Resident.


or over 200 other species recorded by Catalan Bird Tours each year!



Many thanks to the following for the use of their photos:

Stewart Abbott, John Cantelo, Derek Charles, Michael Cox, Martin Cracknell, Jamie Durrant, Ian Ellis, Michael Frankling, Mark Hiley, Zac Hinchcliffe, Mark Lewis, David Linstead, Ken Lossy, Steve Mandel, Jean-Michel Paulus, Dilys Powell, Darren Shirley, Alex Vargas and Phillip West.

and in particular to professional photographer, Steve Fletcher, for filling in some of the gaps in quality as well as species.



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