Birds choose La Siberia, a reference destination in ornithology
The Biosphere Reserve of La Siberia represents a vast territory made up of a fusion of diverse landscapes and ecosystems, which translates into a wide diversity of habitats that host characteristic and differentiated bird communities.
More than 100 nesting species, as many wintering or passage species, and important populations of some of the most endangered birds in Europe.
Many bird species occupy various types of habitats, depending on the available nesting substrate or the trophic resources to be exploited in different breeding areas. However, it is possible to assign a usual environment to each species, with which it corresponds frequently or in a majority of the cases in which they are observed.
- Crags.
The quartzite ridges and cliffs are occupied by large and medium-sized nesting birds, such as griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, golden eagle, Bonelli's eagle, eagle owl, eagle owl, black stork, peregrine falcon, common kestrel, raven, red-billed chough, turtle dove ... and small birds that develop their permanent activity in the rocky environment.... and small birds that develop their permanent activity in the rocky environment, such as the solitary rock thrush, black wheatear, rock thrush, rock bunting, rock bunting, rock sparrow, black redstart, or alpine accentor, among others.
- Mediterranean forest and scrubland.
On the slopes of the mountains and more inaccessible places there are dense formations dominated by oaks, cork oaks and gall oaks, accompanied by a dense undergrowth of mastic trees, junipers, cornicabras, labiérnagos, durillos, arbutus, etc.. In this environment live birds adapted to the forest environment, both summer and wintering, such as the booted eagle, short-toed eagle, Iberian imperial eagle, black kite, black kite, vulture, and other birds of prey.The forest is home to birds adapted to the forest environment, both in summer and winter, such as the booted eagle, short-toed eagle, short-toed eagle, imperial eagle, black kite, black vulture, goshawk, sparrowhawk, blue tit, great tit, great tit, wren, wren, Iberian woodpecker, grosbeak, chaffinch, various warblers and gnatcatchers, etc.
- Pine forests.
In areas of the north and center of the RB of La Siberia, patches of pine forest and scrub intermingle with the Mediterranean forest and scrubland, often mixed with resin pine and stone pine, which host certain ornithic species, such as jays, jay, woodpeckers, etc., in the middle of the Siberian forest.These include jays, great spotted woodpeckers, mistle thrushes, European shrike, nuthatches, short-eared owls, crested tits, coal tit, coal tit, crossbill, firecrest and pied flycatcher.
- Dehesas.
Holm oak pastures (sometimes accompanied by cork oaks and more rarely by gall oaks) cover a large part of La Siberia, being the priority habitat for the common crane, blue-winged kite, red kite, common buzzard, hobby, tawny owl, Iberian blackbird, southern grey shrike, southern grey shrike, loggerhead shrike, rock thrush, wood pigeoncommon crane, blue-winged kite, red kite, common buzzard, common woodchat, common woodchat shrike, grey shrike, rock sparrow, Crested lark, wood pigeon, European turtle dove, red-legged partridge, cuckoo, dartford swallow, wryneck or black-winged warbler.
- Woody crops.
There are ornithic species that frequent the extensive cultivation of woody trees and shrubs, mainly olive groves, vineyards and fruit trees, such as the wheatear, redwinged wheatear, redwing, common thrush, redwing thrush, blackbird, common starling, common starling, redstart, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird, blackbird and blackbird.n, spotless starling, Crested Lark, Hoopoe, Magpie, Red-necked Nightjar, Goldfinch, Linnet, Linnet, Greenfinch, Greenfinch, Siskin, European Stonechat, Gray Flycatcher, Tree Sparrow or European Cricket.
- Cereal plains and grasslands.
In the south of the RB of La Siberia and as a transition to the great peneplain of La Serena, the dominant environment is the 'pseudo-steppe' (a more correct term given its anthropic origin), occupied by pastures dedicated to grazing and intercropped dry cereal crops. It is the habitat of an extensive community of open field birds, such as the great bustard, little bustard, sandgrouse, sandgrouse, stone-curlew, stone-curlew, European wren, Montagu's harrier, hen harrier, black-eared hawk, larkspurn, calandra lark, wheatear, wheatear, common ground lark, skylark, totovia, wheatear, European golden plover, lapwing, canastera, quail, little owl, short-eared owl, meadow pipit or vulture.
- Wetlands.
The aquatic environment is shown in many variations in the RB of La Siberia, with large and small reservoirs (Cíjara, García Sola, Orellana, La Serena and Valdecaballeros), a multitude of ponds and lagoons (natural and artificial), rivers, streams, navajos and ponds, which support large communities of birds associated with wetland ecosystems, such as great crested grebes, little grebes and black-necked grebes, great cormorants, teal, shoveler ducks, mallards and ducks.ecosystems, such as the great crested grebe, little grebe, little grebe, black-necked grebe, great cormorant, teal, red-crested pochard, shoveler, gadwall, wigeon, spoon-billed spoonbill, spoon-billed spoonbill, blacknade, spoonbill, common redshank, common redshank, great sandpiper, black-tailed godwit, common snipe, common rail, common coot, common moorhen, little bittern, etc., to name but a few of the great diversity of species tested.
- Banks and groves.
The river banks and groves are the preferred habitat of some birds, such as the kingfisher, bee-eater, oropendolas, scops owl, stilt warbler, nightingale, common nightingale, common reed warbler and thrush, polyglot wading bird, accent wren, blackbird and blackbird.or bastard, common nightingale, common reed warbler and thrush, polyglot wren, common accentor, lesser spotted woodpecker, Cirl bunting or willow warbler.
- Urban environment.
Churches, convents, palaces and other buildings in towns and human settlements in the countryside are claimed by many birds to build their nests and find shelter, such as the white stork, kestrel, black starling, house sparrow, barn owl, rock pigeon, turtle dove, house martin, barn swallow, western jackdaw, western jackdaw.calo primilla, black starling, house sparrow, barn owl, rock pigeon, turtle dove, turtle dove, house martin, barn swallow, western jackdaw, common swift or pallid swift.