What is the best birdwatching spot?

Number of species seen per site
The maximum number of species seen during the birdwatching weeks in each of the visited places (including last October 2017 data) is as follows:
  • Ria Formosa: 145
  • Sagres: 141
  • Monchique: 86
  • Abicada: 124
  • Alvor dunes: 86
  • Lagoa dos Salgados: 132
  • Castro Verde: 143
  • Ria de Alvor: 110

The species considered as national rarity are in red in the table. The species unusual for each location are marked in green in the table. The exotic species are marked in purple in the table.

 Bird species per site

Ria Formosa Sagres Monchique Abicada Alvor Dunes Lagoa dos Salgados Castro Verde Ria de Alvor
Mute Swan  X
Barnacle Goose  X
Common Shelduck  X  X  X  X
Mandarin Duck  X
Eurasian Wigeon  X  X
Gadwall X X  X X
Eurasian Teal  X  X  X  X  X
Mallard  X  X X  X  X  X  X X
Northern Pintail  X  X
Garganey  X  X
Northern Shoveler  X  X  X  X  X
Red-crested Pochard  X  X  X
Common Pochard  X  X
Ring-necked Duck  X
Ferruginous Duck  X  X
Tufted Duck  X  X
Common Scoter  X  X
Common Quail  X  X  X  X
Red-legged Partridge  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Great Northern Loon  X            X
Little Grebe  X  X  X  X  X
Great Crested Grebe  X  X
Black-necked Grebe  X
Cory’s Shearwater  X  X
Great Shearwater  X
Sooty Shearwater  X
Balearic Shearwater  X
Northern Gannet  X  X  X  X  X
Great Cormorant  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
European Shag  X
Little Bittern  X  X
Black-crowned Night Heron  X  X
Squacco Heron  X  X
Cattle Egret  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Little Egret  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Great Egret  X  X  X
Grey Heron  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Purple Heron  X  X  X
Black Stork  X  X  X
White Stork  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Glossy Ibis  X  X  X  X
Sacred Ibis  X
Eurasian Spoonbill  X X  X  X  X  X
Greater Flamingo  X X  X  X  X
European Honey Buzzard  X  X
Black-winged Kite  X  X  X  X
Black Kite  X  X  X
Red Kite  X  X
Egyptian Vulture  X  X
Griffon Vulture  X  X  X  X
Rüppell’s Vulture  X
Cinereous Vulture  X
Short-toed Snake Eagle  X  X  X  X  X  X
Western Marsh Harrier  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Hen Harrier  X  X  X  X
Pallid Harrier  X
Montagu’s Harrier  X  X
Eurasian Sparrowhawk  X  X
Northern Goshawk  X
Common Buzzard  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Lesser Spotted Eagle  X
Booted Eagle  X  X  X  X  X
Golden Eagle  X
Bonelli’s Eagle  X  X  X
Spanish Impeial Eagle  X  X
Osprey  X  X  X  X  X
Lesser Kestrel  X
Common Kestrel  X  X  X X  X  X  X  X
Red-footed Falcon  X
Merlin  X  X
Eurasian Hobby  X  X
Eleonora’s Falcon  X
Peregrine Falcon  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Water Rail  X  X  X  X
Common Moorhen  X  X  X  X  X
Purple Swamphen  X  X  X
Eurasian Coot  X  X  X  X
Common Crane  X
Little Bustard  X  X
Great Bustard  X
Eurasian Stone-curlew  X  X  X  X  X  X
Black-winged Stilt  X  X  X  X  X  X
Pied Avocet  X  X  X  X
Eurasian Oystercatcher  X  X  X  X  X
European Golden Plover  X  X  X  X
Grey Plover  X  X  X  X  X  X
Northern Lapwing  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Little Ringed Plover X  X
Common Ringed Plover  X  X X  X X X X
Kentish Plover  X  X  X  X  X
Whimbrel  X  X  X  X  X
Eurasian Curlew X  X  X  X
Black-tailed Godwit  X X  X  X
Bar-tailed Godwit  X  X  X  X  X
Ruddy Turnstone  X  X  X  X  X
Red Knot  X  X  X  X
Ruff  X  X  X  X
Curlew Sandpiper  X  X  X
Sanderling  X  X X  X  X  X  X
Dunlin  X  X  X  X  X
Little Stint  X  X  X  X
Common Sandpiper  X X  X  X  X  X  X
Green Sandpiper  X  X  X  X  X
Spotted Redshank  X
Common Greenshank  X  X  X  X  X  X
Wood Sandpiper  X
Common Redshank  X  X  X  X  X  X
Eurasian Woodcock  X
Common Snipe  X  X  X  X  X
Cream-colored Courser  X
Collared Pratincole  X  X  X  X  X
Pomarine Skua  X
Parasitic Jaeger  X
Great Skua  X  X
Razorbill  X  X
Little Tern  X  X  X  X  X
Gull-billed Tern  X  X  X
Caspian Tern  X  X  X  X  X
Whiskered Tern  X  X
Black Tern  X  X
White-winged Tern  X
Sandwich Tern  X  X  X  X  X  X
Common Tern  X  X  X
Little Gull  X
Slender-billed Gull  X
Black-headed Gull  X  X  X  X X  X
Audouin’s Gull  X  X  X  X  X  X
Mediterranean Gull  X  X  X  X  X  X
Mew Gull  X
Ring-billed Gull  X
Lesser Black-backed Gull  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Yellow-legged Gull  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Great Black-backed Gull  X  X  X
Black-bellied Sandgrouse  X
Rock Dove  X
Stock Dove  X  X
Common Wood Pigeon X  X  X
Eurasian Collared Dove  X  X  X  X X  X  X  X
European Turtle Dove  X  X  X  X X
Rose-ringed Parakeet  X
Great Spotted Cuckoo  X
Common Cuckoo  X  X
Barn Owl  X
Little Owl  X  X  X  X  X  X
Short-eared Owl  X
European Nightjar  X
Red-necked Nightjar  X
Common Swift  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Pallid Swift  X  X  X  X  X
Alpine Swift  X  X  X  X  X
White-rumped Swift  X
Common Kingfisher  X X  X  X  X  X  X
European Bee-eater  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
European Roller  X  X
Hoopoe  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Eurasian Wryneck  X  X  X
European Green Woodpecker  X  X  X
Great Spotted Woodpecker  X  X  X  X
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker  X  X
Calandra Lark  X
Greater Short-toed Lark  X  X  X  X  X
Crested Lark  X  X  X  X  X  X X
Thekla Lark  X  X
Woodlark  X  X  X
Eurasian Skylark  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Sand Martin  X  X  X  X  X
Eurasian Crag Martin  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Barn Swallow  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Common House Martin  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Red-rumped Swallow  X  X  X  X  X  X  X X
Richard’s Pipit  X
Tawny Pipit  X  X  X
Tree Pipit  X  X
Meadow Pipit  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Water Pipit  X  X
Yellow Wagtail  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Grey Wagtail  X  X  X  X  X
White Wagtail  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Winter Wren  X X  X
Dunnock  X  X
Alpine Accentor  X
Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin  X
European Robin  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Common Nightingale  X  X  X  X  X
Bluethroat  X  X  X  X
Black Redstart  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Common Redstart  X  X X  X  X  X
Whinchat  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
European Stonechat  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Northern Wheatear  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Black-eared Wheatear  X  X
Common Rock Thrush  X  X
Blue Rock Thrush  X  X  X
Ring Ouzel  X  X
Common Blackbird  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Song Thrush  X  X  X  X  X  X
Mistle Thrush  X  X  X
Cetti’s Warbler  X  X  X  X  X
Zitting Cisticola  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Savi’s Warbler X
Western Olivaceous Warbler X
Melodious Warbler  X X X
Sedge Warbler X
Eurasian Reed Warbler X X X X X
Great Reed Warbler  X
Dartford Warbler  X X X
Spectacled Warbler  X
Subalpine Warbler  X  X  X
Sardinian Warbler X X X X X X X X
Western Orphean Warbler  X
Common Whitethroat  X X
Garden Warbler  X  X
Eurasian Blackcap X X X X X X
Yellow-browed Warbler X
Western Bonelli’s Warbler X
Wood Warbler   X  X
Common Chiffchaff X X  X X X X X X
Iberian Chiffchaff  X
Willow Warbler X X  X X X X X
Firecrest  X
Spotted Flycatcher X X X X X
Red-breasted Flycatcher X
European Pied Flycatcher X X  X X X
Long-tailed Tit  X
Eurasian Blue Tit  X  X
Great Tit  X  X  X X X X
European Crested Tit X X  X
Eurasian Nuthatch  X
Short-toed Treecreeper X  X
Eurasian Golden Oriole  X X  X  X
Southern Grey Shrike  X  X  X  X
Woodchat Shrike  X X  X  X X X  X X
Eurasian Jay  X  X  X  X
Azure-winged Magpie  X X X X  X  X X
Common Magpie X X X
Red-billed Chough  X
Western Jackdaw  X X  X  X X
Carrion Crow  X  X
Northern Raven  X  X  X  X
Spotless Starling X  X X X X X  X X
Common Starling  X  X
House Sparrow  X  X X X X  X  X X
Spanish Sparrow  X X X X
Eurasian Tree Sparrow  X
Black-headed Weaver  X        X    
Common Waxbill X  X X  X  X
Common Chaffinch  X  X  X  X X  X  X
European Serin  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
European Greenfinch  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
European Goldfinch  X  X  X  X  X  X  X  X
Common Linnet X X  X X X X X X
Eurasian Bullfinch  X
Cirl Bunting X  X
Rock Bunting X
Ortolan Bunting X
Common Reed Bunting  X  X  X
Corn Bunting X X X X X X X X

Start typing and press Enter to search