Ornithological routes
Huesca and surroundings
Huesca and surroundings
ITINERARY
Huesca, Loreto reservoir, Torresecas, Lupiñén, Ortilla, Montmesa and La Sotonera reservoir, Chimillas reservoir, Fornillos and Montearagón Castle.
SPECIES
RESIDENT: Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Goshawk, Eagle Owl, Long-eared Owl, Little Owl, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Wheatear, Sardinian Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Rock Sparrow, Calandra Lark, Sky Lark, Wood Lark, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Common Coot, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Yellow-legged Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great White Egret.
SUMMER: Egyptian Vulture, Short-Toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Hobby, Lesser Kestrel, Scops Owl, European Bee-Eater, Woodchat Shrike, Western Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Purple Heron, Night Heron, Little Egret.
OVERWINTERING: Hen Harrier, Merlin, Eurasian Wigeon, Greylag Goose, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Fieldfare, Redwing, Alpine Accentor, Wallcreeper, Brambling, Hawfinch, Bullfinch.
MIGRANTS: European Bee-eater, Osprey, Barn Owl, Black Stork, Common Crane, Eurasian Spoonbill, Garganey, waders and gulls.
OTHER FAUNA
MAMMALS: Iberian Ibex.
AMPHIBIANS: Pyrenean Brook Salamander.
DESCRIPTION
RECOMMENDED TIME OF YEAR: All year round.
HABITATS: Patchwork of cereal fields with oak woods, irrigated areas, gallery forests, Mediterranean scrub, wetlands and clay cliffs.
Common Crane. Photo: Ricardo Pérez
BIRDS
Eurasian Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhula ES: Camachuelo común Description L: 14.5-16.5cm; W:22-29cm; Species that presents sexual dimorphism. Both sexes have a black crown and chin, a black short thick bill, a white rump, and dark wings with a white wing bar....
Brambling
Fringilla Montifringilla ES: pinzón real Description L: 14cm; W:24-26cm; This bird presents a marked sexual dimorphism, more striking in winter. Male breeding plumage with black head, bill, and back; in winter with a black-tipped yellowish...
Rock Sparrow
Petronia petronia ES: Gorrión chillón Description L: 15-17cm; W:28-32cm; Bird with a brown back with brown streaks and a white underpart with brown-grey streaks; Thick bill with grey upperparts; head with light supercilium, brown tail, with...
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustes ES: Picogordo común Description L: 18cm; W:29-33cm. Striking bird for its colour and size. Both sexes have a similar appearance; if anything, the female with paler plumage than the male. Brown back with ocher...
Woodchat Shrike
Lanius senator ES: Alcaudón común Description L: 18cm; W:26-28cm; Brown-backed bird; white shoulders; white underparts, bushy with reddish-brown crown and black forehead and mask; wing with a white spot. Barred-brown-grey juveniles differ...
Wallcreeper
Tichodroma muraria ES: Treparriscos Description L: 15.5-17cm; W:27-32cm; Very beautiful bird of grey colour in the upper part; red coverts feathers in flight and grey underparts, or black when the male is in the breeding phase; Thin and...
Western Orphean Warbler
Sylvia hortensis ES: Curruca mirlona Description L: 15cm; W:20-25 cm; The largest of the Iberian warblers. The male has a black mask, forehead and crown, and a white throat; highlights the whitish iris; back grey-brown, smooth; wings and...
Sardinian Warbler
Sylvia melanocephala ES: Curruca cabecinegra Description L:13-14cm; W:15-18cm; Bird that presents a pronounced sexual dimorphism. The adult male has a black crown that reaches below the eyes with a striking red orbital ring; dark grey back...
Subalpine Warbler
Sylvia cantillan ES: Curruca carrasqueña Description L: 12cm; W:15-19cm; Species of marked sexual dimorphism; the male is very colourful with bluish-grey head and back, coppery throat and chest; red orbital ring and white moustachial...
Spectacled Warbler
Sylvia conspicillata ES: Curruca tomillera Description L: 13-13 cm; W:13-17 cm; Usually unnoticed due to its small size and elusive habits. It shows a marked sexual dimorphism. Male with a grey head and white eyering; brown back and pinkish...
Dartford Warbler
Sylvia undataES: Curruca rabilarga Description L: 12-13cm; W:13-19cm; Species with elusive habits, with similar plumage in both sexes. It has a dark grey back and vinous underparts; vinaceous throat with white flecks; long tail; with...
Redwing
Turdus iliacus ES: zorzal alirrojo Description L: 21cm; W:60-65cm; Brown above, pale underparts with brown streaking, well-marked pale eyebrow, reddish flanks, black flanges, white moustachial stripe, reddish-brown undercovert feathers....
Fieldfare
Turdus pilaris ES: zorzal real Description L: 22-27cm; W:39-42cm; Gray head and back of neck; chestnut-coloured back; grey rear of back; dark tail; white belly; pale flank, black-spotted; undercovert feathers white; yellow bill with ocher...
Blue Rock Thrush
Monticola solitarius ES: roquero solitario Description L: 21-23cm; W: 33-37cm; The male in breeding plumage is bluish-grey; dark wings and tail; in winter with brown rims on the blue feathers. Female has grey-brown upperparts, bluish tinge...
Black Wheatear
Oenanthe leucura ES: collalba negra Description L: 18cm; W:26-29cm; Uniformly black body (male) or dark brown (female); white rump and undertail coverts; white tail with a central and terminal black band. Both sexes are similar, the male is...
Alpine Accentor
Prunella collaris ES: Acentor alpino Description L: 15-17cm, W:30-32cm; Larger than the Common, although similar. Gray with brown markings; greyish underparts, with chestnut flanks; white throat with black streaks; wings with dark coverts...
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensis ES: Alondra común Description L: 18-19cm W: 30-36cm. Striped brown plumage; outer tail feathers white, the wing with a white band at tip; head with a small crest; clear eyebrow. Juveniles have white fringing on feathers....
Woodlark
Tree lullula ES: Alondra totovía Description L: 15cm W: 27-30cm. Bird with a small crest and large eyebrow that joins the nape, with brown upper parts and dark stripes except for the rump; striated along the throat and chest and whitish...
Calandra Lark
Melanocorypha calandra ES: Calandria común Description L: 18-19cm W: 34-42cm. Crestless head without crown and marked eyebrow, thick and strong beak. Brown upper part, with light edges, chest with fine stripes and two dark lateral spots...
European Bee-eater
Merops apiaster ES: Abejaruco europeo Description L: 27-29cm W: 44-49cm. Colourful insectivorous bird, with reddish-brown crown and anterior part of the back; golden yellow back; tail and underparts green; yellow throat and eyes covered by...
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeus ES: Búho campestre Description L:33-40cm ; W: 95-105cm; Back tawny brown, longitudinally mottled dark; ocher underparts, streaked with brown; reddish-brown flight feathers with dark tips; tail rufous with brown barring; head...
Long-eared Owl
Asio otus ES: Búho chico Description L: 31-37cm; W: 86-98 cm; Nocturnal raptor with striking facial design. It has a gray-brown to reddish-brown back, speckled with brown; ocher underparts; reddish-brown flight feathers; tail rufous with...
Little Owl
Athene nocturne ES: Mochuelo común Description L: 21-23cm; W: 51-54cm; With more diurnal habits than other owls, this owl has a brown back with rounded white spots; chest diffusely fringed brown and white; brown flight feathers, speckled...
Eurasian Eagle-Owl
Bubo bubo ES: Búho real Description L: 57-75cm; W:140-188cm; Large nocturnal bird of prey with an ocher general color, speckled with dark; brown wings with transverse ocher stripes; white throat; bill dark; feet covered in buff feathers;...
Eurasian Scops Owl
Otus scops ES: Autillo europeo Description L: 19-21cm; W: 47-54cm; The smallest of the owls of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a gray-brown to reddish-brown back, with a fine pattern of stripes; paler abdomen, also vermiculated; flight...
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellis ES: Gaviota patiamarilla Description L: 55-67cm; W: 130-158cm; Opportunistic species in expansion. Adults with gray back; white underparts; gray wing with black tip mottled with white; White glue; yellow legs; yellow bill...
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus ES: Avefría europea Description L: 28-31cm; W: 67-72cm; Bird with a long crest and striking plumage. With little sexual dimorphism. Dark upperparts, with greenish reflections; white underparts; wings wide and rounded, with...
European Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricaria ES: Chorlito dorado europeo Description L: 25-28cm; W: 53-59cm; In winter with dark upperparts with dense golden mottling; pale underparts streaked with brown; underwing white; white axillae; greenish gray leg ...
Common Crane
Grus Grus ES: Grulla común Description L: 96-119cm; W: 180-222cm; Adult slate gray; throat, nape and sides of face black; sides of head and neck white; crown red; black primaries; long secondaries giving the appearance of being part of the...
Eurasian Coot
Fulica atra ES: Focha común Description L: 38-42cm; W: 75-85cm; Abundant species in very varied wetlands. Both sexes are similar, generally black in color, with a darker head and neck; olive back; black wings ending in a white tip; bill and...
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus ES: Halcón peregrino Description L: 38-51cm; W: 89-113cm; The largest of the falcons of the Iberian Peninsula. Adults with bluish gray back; pale underparts, finely barred with dark; dark head with broad mustache; tail...
Eurasian Hobby
Falco subbuteo ES: Alcotán europeo Description L:29-33cm; W: 74-83cm; Adults with slate-colored backs; pale underparts; dark mustache; feathers of the breeches and underbelly reddish; gray tail; pale wings below. Juveniles brown and...
Merlin
Falco columbariusES: Esmerejón Description L: 26-33cm; W: 55-69cm; The smallest of the European falcons. Adult male with slate gray back, finely striated; reddish underparts, streaked with brown; dark gray tail, with thin bands smaller than...
Lesser Kestrel
Falco naumanni ES: Cernícalo primilla Description L:26-31cm; W: 66-72cm; Raptor with pointed wings and long tail, with a black band near the end; light nails; back brown, mottled only in female; light ocher underparts, speckled with dark;...
Bonelli’s Eagle
Aquila fasciata ES: Águila perdicera Description L: 60-70cm; W: 150-170cm; Adults with dark upperparts; underparts white, streaked with dark; tail grey-brown, with several dark bars; wings dark above and lighter and shaded dark below;...
Booted Eagle
Aquila pennata ES: Águila calzada Description L: 42-51cm; W:110-135cm; With feathers on the tarsi, covering even the fingers. It has two types of plumagW: a light phase with white underparts; neck and breast often with a tawny band; ocher...
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos ES: Águila real Description L: 76-96cm; W: 180-230cm; One of the best known birds of prey. The adult has dark brown plumage; head and nape golden; tail with diffuse transverse bands. In adult birds, the male has a darker...
Northern Goshawk
Accipiter gentilis ES: Azor común Description L: 49-56cm; W: 89-122cm; Forest raptor with short, rounded wings and a long tail; yellow or orange eyes; tail with 4-5 brown bands; brown-gray upperparts; pale underparts finely streaked with...
Northern Harrier
Circus cyaneusES: Aguilucho pálido Description L: 44-55cm; W: 97 - 118cm; Adult male with gray head and back; gray underparts on chest and white on rest; wing tips black; gray tail; white rump. Adult female with dark brown back; light brown...
Short-toed Snake Eagle
Circaetus gallicusES: Culebrera europea Description L: 62-69cm; W: 160-175cm; Raptor with brown back and large head; tail with four transverse dark bands, the terminal one wider; dark throat and chest; white underparts streaked with brown;...
Griffon Vulture
Gyps fulvus ES: Buitre leonador Description L: 95-110cm; W: 230-265cm; The most common of the Iberian vultures. Naked head and neck, with whitish down; light feather ruff; tawny plumage, with darker wings and tail; gray beak and claws...
Egyptian Vulture
Neophron perchnopterus ES: Alimoche común Description L: 55-65cm; W: 148-171cm; Adults white except wing feathers; head and throat without feathers, yellow. Both sexes are of similar size and plumage, the male being a little smaller than...
Bearded Vulture
Gypaetus barbatus ES: Quebrantahuesos Description L:100-120cm; W:240-290cm; Unmistakable for its large size and color. Adult with creamy head and neck, with a black spot from the eye to the base of the bill, elongating into a kind of...
European Honey Buzzard
Pernis apivorus ES: Abejero europeo Description L:52-59cm, W:115-135cm. Bird with a brown back and some pale fringes; light underside with dark mottling; wings brown and light on the underside; with a general appearance very similar to the...
White Stork
Ciconia ciconia ES: Cigüeña blanca Description L: 95-110cm; W: 180-218 cm; Species linked to the human environment and popular culture. White plumage with black wings; red beak; long red legs. The juveniles with darker brown parts, as well...
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea ES: Garza imperial Description L: 70-90cm; W: 110-145cm; Back and wing coverts slate, with chestnut scapulars in breeding plumage; underparts wine-brown; chestnut head and neck, with two lateral black stripes on the neck;...
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaES: Garza real Description L: 84-102cm; W: 155-175cm; Back and wing coverts gray; head white, with black eye line; white collar, with a double line of black stripes; white underparts; yellow beak and greenish or reddish legs....
Great Egret
White Egretta ES: Garceta grande Description L: 85-100cm; W:145-170cm; White color; bill dark in breeding season and yellow in winter; legs and toes blackish green; in breeding plumage with elongated feathers on chest, back and scapulars....
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta ES: Garceta común Description L: 55-65cm; W: 88-106cm; White; bill dark; black legs with yellow toes; in breeding plumage with elongated feathers on the chest, back, scapulars and head. Both sexes have similar plumage....
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax ES: Martinete común Description L: 58-65cm; W:90-100cm; Adult with black back, crown and nape; wings, rump and tail bluish; rest of plumage white. Both sexes are similar in plumage. Juveniles are brown with white...
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo ES Cormorán grande Description L: 80-100cm; W: 130-160cm; Black plumage with a scaled appearance on the back, with a bluish tinge on the underparts; bill gray and yellow; At the base of the lower jaw there is a bare...
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatus ES: Somormujo lavanco Description L: 46-51cm; W: 85-90cm; In breeding plumage with dark back; white underparts; head with dark and reddish ornaments. In nonbreeding plumage with duller colors; without ornaments on head....
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollis ES: Zampullín común/chico Description L:25-29cm; W: 40-45cm; Anatidae of small size, in breeding plumage it is dark brown, with a chestnut face and neck; base of bill black with a pale spot. In winter and juveniles...
Garganey
Spatula querquedula Cerceta carretona Description L: 37-41cm; W: 60-63 cm; Rare Anatidae linked to wetlands with abundant marshy vegetation. In male breeding plumage with wide white eyebrow that reaches the nape; head and chest mottled dark...
Greylag Goose
Greylag greylagES: Ánsar común Description L: 70-90cm; W: 147-180cm; Recognizable by its large size, thick neck, and large bill. Brown plumage; ash gray head and neck; whitish belly; white tail coverts; large orange or pink bill; and pink...
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaES: Porrón moñudo Description L: 40-47cm; W: 65-72cm; Gregarious duck that presents sexual dimorphism. In breeding plumage male with black plumage; flank and abdomen white; with a long bow of hanging feathers; dark wings with...
Common Pochard
Aythya whooping ES: Porrón europeo Description L: 42-49cm; W: 67-75cm; Diving Anatidae. Male with chestnut head and neck; breast and rear of body black; gray wings and body. Brown female, darker on the back and lighter on the head; gray...
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata ES: Cuchara común Description L: 44-52cm; W:73-82cm Anatidae unmistakable due to the shape and size of the beak. Male in winter with dark green head; back black; white chest and neck; belly reddish brown; dark wings with green...
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosES: Ánade azulón Description L: 50-60cm; W: 81-95cm Gregarious Anatidae that presents a marked sexual dimorphism, Male in breeding plumage with green head and neck; gray back and underparts; central tail feathers recurved...
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaES: Cerceta común Description L: 34-38cm; W:53-59cm A small duck that presents a great difference between the sexes in the breeding season; Breeding male with chestnut colored head with green mask; chest light mottled with dark;...
Gadwall
Anas streperaES: Ánade friso Description L:46-56cm; W:78-90cm A shallow, freshwater duck that is sexually dimorphic. Male in winter quite uniform brownish-grey; white belly; Black Back Bottom; gray wings with chestnut spot; black and white...
Eurasian Wigeon
Anas PenelopeES: Silbón europeo Description L:42-50cm; W: 71-85cm Wintering Anatidae, more frequent on the coast but also present in inland wetlands. Male with chestnut head and neck; crown and forehead cream-yellow; gray vermiculate back;...
