The Birds of Andalucia :: Birdwatching Tours in the Alpujarras & Sierra Nevada of Andalucia, Spain

Birdwatching Tours in the Alpujarras

Birdwatching Tours in the Alpujarras & Sierra Nevada of Andalucia, Spain>The Birds of Andalucia

The Birds

Yellow Wagtail- Motacilla flava iberiae

Elegant and colourful, the Yellow Wagtail spends the winter chasing insects around the feet of big game on the African plains. Returning to our region for the summer our Iberian subspecies is a striking seasonal addition to the area, with its grey and white head and bright yellow plumage. Often...

Serin- Serinus serinus

A tiny, lively, colouful finch the Serin is characteristic of many Mediterranean areas. Easy to find around Lanjaron the male delivers its buzzing, high pitched call from the tops of trees and bushes or with a fluttering song-flight. The Serin favours orchards, vineyards, olive groves and wooded...

Rock Bunting- Emberiza cia

With a little effort this Mediterranean Bunting can be found on the higher slopes around the village of Lanjaron. Small slim and colourful it can on occasion prove difficult to locate. It favours rocky areas with dry bushy slopes, crags and boulders on and around the treeline. Within our...

Lesser Kestrel - Falco Naumanni

Sharing the basic colours and patterns of the Kestrel, the smaller Lesser Kestrel male can be distinguised by its unspotted rich red-brown back. Females can be very difficult to tell apart! However, Lesser Kestrels often breed colonially on steep cliffs and ruins and hover less, frequently taking...

Booted Eagle - Hieraaetus Pennatus

One of our more common raptor sightings the Booted Eagle is a small, buzzard sized eagle occurring in both pale and dark forms. It is typical of the wooded, hot countryside of the Alpujarras and can often be seen soaring effortlessly overhead. It catches reptiles, small birds and small mamals on...

Short-Toed Eagle - Circaetus Gallicus

Larger than the Booted Eagle, the Short-Toed Eagle arrives from its African wintering grounds to breed in our more open arid areas with scattered woods and scrub. This bird of prey has strong, scaly bare legs giving it some protection from snake bites, their favourite prey. The Short-Toed Eagle...

Golden Eagle - Aquila Chrysaetos

One of the most impressive resident raptors of the region, the Golden Eagle combines great bulk and massive presence with an elegance and even delicacy in the air. Soaring in wide, slow circles it is often seen far off over a high peak but good views can be gained on the hillsides around Lanjaron....

Egyptian Vulture - Neophron Percnopterus

This summer visitor to the region often looks dirty and drab on the ground soiled by foraging in filthy places, but against a blue sky its black and white plumage can look stunning. The Egyptian Vulture can be found around local gorges and cliffs, and over our more wooded and mountainous areas....

Cattle Egret - Bubulcus Ibis

This relatively small white Heron nests in the trees by lakes and rivers but can often be found in quite dry habitats towards the coast. In our region it is often found in association with livestock catching disturbed insects, it also forages in fields and on wasteland. It can be seen throughout...

Sardinian Warbler - Sylvia Melanocephala

This striking Warbler is a true Mediterranean speciallity and very rare north of its usual range. Characteristic of the stony hillsides of the area it favours low scattered bushes and scrub but with a little patience can be found in the wooded areas and olive groves close to the village of Lanjaron...