Ornithological routes
Posets Maladeta Natural Park
Posets Maladeta Natural Park
ITINERARY
Upper Valley of the Ésera River.
SPECIES
RESIDENT: Red Kite, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Ptarmigan, Grey Partridge, Black woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, White-backed woodpecker, Greater-spotted woodpecker, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Alpine Accentor, Marsh Tit, Eurasian Treecreeper, Wallcreeper, Red-billed Chough, Yellow-billed Chough, Common Raven, Citril Finch, Common Crossbill, Snowfinch.
SUMMER: Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Woodcock, Alpine Swift, Rock Thrush, Water Pipit, Tree Pipit, Northern Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Red-backed Shrike, Yellowhammer, Ortolan Bunting.
OVERWINTERING MIGRANTS: Osprey, Common Crane, Black Stork.
OTHER FAUNA
MAMMALS: Izard, Roe Deer, Wild Boar, Pine Marten, Red Squirrel, Edible Dormouse, Brown Hare.
AMPHIBIANS: Fire Salamander, Pyrenean Brook Salamander, Common Toad and Midwife Toad.
REPTILES: Green Whip snake, Smooth Snake, European Asp, European Green Lizard.
FISH: Brown Trout.
DESCRIPTION
RECOMMENDED TIME OF YEAR: all year round, although care must be taken during periods of bad weather during winter. The best months are May and June. During July and August, some of the most popular parts of the park can be very busy.
HABITATS: Mixed and Coniferous forests, Mountain pastures, limestone cliffs and peaks.
Great Spotted Woodpecker. Photo: Volando Libre
Ptarmigan
BIRDS
Ortolan Bunting
Emberiza hortulana ES: Escribano hortelano Description L: 15-17cm; W:22-26cm; Dark-streaked brown back; ocher underparts, with a yellow throat and moustachial stripe; greenish head; brown bill, pinkish. The female is somewhat paler than the...
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinella ES: Escribano cerillo Description L: 16cm; W:23-29cm; Bird with a marked atlantic character. Breeding male with yellow head, chestnut "moustachial stripe"; reddish-brown back, streaked with brown; reddish-brown rump and...
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostra ES: Piquituerto común Description L:15-17cm; W:27-30cm; Singular bird due to the peculiarity of its beak. It has a thick head and a low-cut tail; beak with curved and crossed mandibles. Brick-red male; greenish or...
Northern Raven
Corvus corax ES: Cuervo grande Description L: 54-67cm; W:115-140cm; The largest bird within the passerines. Black plumage, with bluish and greenish reflections; "wedge" tail; stout bill and black legs. Both sexes are similar in plumage....
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax ES: chova piquirroja Description L: 37-41cm; W:68-80cm; Corvid with uniform shiny black plumage; long curved bill; red beak and legs. Both sexes do not present differences in terms of plumage. Juveniles with fresh...
White-winged Snowfinch
Montifringilla nivalis ES: Gorrión alpino Description L:16.5-19cm; W:34-38cm; Bird with dark brown back; dark rump and tail coverts; white underparts; wings with black primaries and white secondaries; tail black in centre, white on sides;...
Alpine Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus ES: chova piquigualda Description L: 37-39cm; W:68-80cm; Corvid with uniform shiny black plumage; strongly curved yellow bill; and red legs. Both sexes with similar plumage. Juveniles: with fresh plumage; dark legs with...
Red-backed Shrike
Lanius collurio ES: Alcaudón dorsirrojo Description L: 17cm; W:24-27cm; Bird that presents a significant sexual dimorphism. The adult male with a brown back, grey head and black mask; pale underparts, strong, hooked, black bill; the female...
Eurasian Treecreeper
Certhia familiaris ES: Agateador euroasiático Description L: 12.5cm; W:17.5-21cm; Its upperparts are brownish streaked with white, ocher rump; white throat, greyish-white underparts, with ocher flanks; pale striped forehead, long eyebrow...
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...
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustris ES: Carbonero palustre Description L: 11.5cm; W:18-19.5cm; Birds with grey-brown upperparts and whitish underparts; black crown and black and well-defined small bib below; brown wing, without bands. Both sexes with similar...
Citril Finch
Carduelis citrinella ES: verderón serrano Description L: 12cm; W:12-14cm; Bird of gregarious behaviour that presents sexual dimorphism. Both sexes have a general yellowish-green colour, with grey nape and sides of the neck; two green wing...
Ring Ouzel
Turdus torquatus ES: mirlo capiblanco Description L: 23-24cm; W:38-42cm; Adult male in black breeding plumage; chest patch pure white; yellow bill with brown tip; in winter plumage with grey-edged plumage and brown bill with yellowish tip....
Common Rock Thrush
Monticola saxatilis ES: roquero rojo Description L: 18.5cm; W:33-37cm; Species that presents a marked sexual dimorphism during the breeding season; the rest of the year, both sexes are more similar, with discreet plumage; grey-brown...
Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe ES: Collalba gris Description L: 14-16cm; W:26-32cm; Male with grey back; black wings; white forehead and black bands on sides of the head; white eyebrow; wing feathers and covert feathers black. White underparts. The...
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...
White-throated Dipper
Cinclus cinclus ES: Mirlo-acuático europeo Description L: 17 -20cm; W:25-30cm; Bird with dark brown back, brown head and belly; throat and white chest; short wings and tail; plump in shape and well adapted to aquatic life, feathers closely...
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinerea ES: Lavandera cascadeña Description L: 19cm; W:26cm; Plumage grey above, white and yellow below. Male in breeding plumage with black bib, bright yellow and white moustachial stripe on chest and white flanks; female very...
Water Pipit
Anthus spinoletta ES: Bisbita alpino Description L: 17cm; W:27cm; Back greyish-brown; light eyebrow; outer tail feathers with white patch; dark legs. In summer, grey head, black bill and pink chest without streaks; in winter, brown head,...
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialis ES: Bisbita arbóreo Description L: 15cm; W:26cm; Olive-brown back, heavily striated with dark streaking; whitish chest with narrower stripes on flanks than on chest; Bill somewhat thicker than other pipits, pinkish at the...
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major ES: Pico picapinos Description L: 23-26 cm. W: 38 – 44 cm. Back black, with two white spots on shoulders: white throat and chest; red underparts; white cheek and forehead; dark with white mottling wings; black tail with...
Black Woodpecker
Dryocopus martius ES: Picamaderos negro Description L:45-57cm; W:64-68cm. It is the largest woodpecker in Europe. It is a voluminous bird, with completely black plumage, except for the red crown that the males have; the females have a red...
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridis ES: Pito real Description L: 16-17cm W: 25-27cm.This insectivorous bird has cryptic plumage with a grey-brown back; grey underparts with ocher chest and throat; transversely streaked grey and brown tail; brown beak and legs....
Alpine Swift
Apus melba ES: Vencejo real Description L: 21-22cm, W:57cm. It shows greyish-brown colouration on the back, white underparts, and pectoral band brownish-grey. Silhouette in the shape of a crossbow, with long and pointed wings, tail more...
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticola ES: Chocha perdiz Description L: 33-38cm; W: 55-65cm; Wader of forest and solitary habits. Both sexes are similar, their cryptic plumage stands out, with gray upperparts with black and ocher stripes; gray underparts,...
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...
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus ES: Gavilán común Description L: 28-37cm; W: 60-77cm; Raptor with short, rounded wings and a long tail; yellow or orange eyes; tail with 4-5 narrow dark bands and a broad subterminal band; upperparts ash-grey in adults,...
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...
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...
Red Kite
Milvus milvus ES: Milano real Description L: 60-66cm; W: 154-166cm; Back and neck brown, fringed with chestnut and reddish in appearance; reddish underparts, streaked; cap and nape whitish and streaked; wings brown, with a pale base, and a...
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdix Perdiz pardilla Description L:cm; W: cm; 28-30cm. 28-30cm. Back grey, mottled white and brown; brown face; flank grey, with abundant transverse barring; gray breast with a broad horseshoe-shaped spot on male, small or no spot...
Western Capercaillie
Tetrao urogallus Urogallo común Description L: 55 - 90cm; W: 70-125cm; Male 86-110 cm.; female 60-75 cm. Male with dark gray plumage and bluish-green breast; lower sides of flank and belly with white flecks and black tail with light...
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutates Lagópodo alpino Description L:34-36cm; W: 54-60cm. In breeding plumage male with barred blackish brown head, breast and upperparts on light background; white underparts; white flight feathers; red caruncles. Female with...
