Ornithological routes
Sierra del Moncayo
Sierra del Moncayo
ITINERARY
Peaks of Moncayo, Moncayo grasslands and Monte de la Mata, Alto Huecha.
SPECIES
RESIDENT: Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Eurasian Woodcock, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Blue Rock Thrush, Dunnock, Eurasian Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Citril Finch, Common Crossbill, Chaffinch, Rock Bunting, Eurasian Jay.
SUMMER: European Bee- Eater, Egyptian Vulture, Short-Toed Eagle, Red-rumped Swallow, Water Pipit, Tree Pipit, Rock Thrush, Northern Wheatear, Common Whitethroat, Bonelli’s Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Ortolan Bunting.
OVERWINTERING: Eurasian Bullfinch, Brambling, Alpine Accentor, Redwing, Wallcreeper.
MIGRANT: Greylag Goose, Common Crane, Dotterel.
OTHER FAUNA
MAMMALS: Roe Deer, Wild Boar, Wildcat, Badger, Pine Marten, Crowned Shrew.
AMPHIBIANS: Palmate Newt, Marbled Newt, European Tree Frog, Midwife Toad.
REPTILES: Smooth snake, Snub-nosed Viper, Western Green Lizard, Common Wall Lizard, Slowworm.
FISH: Brown Trout.
DESRIPTION
RECOMMENDED TIME OF YEAR: All year round, caution in winter during bad weather.
HABITATS: Beech forests, oak woodland, mixed Scots pine and Holm oak woodland, Austrian Pines, meadows, black broom shrub, mountain rocky slopes, flinty rocks and peaks.
European Bee- Eater. Photo: Miguel Ángel García
Rock Thrush. Photo: Miguel Ángel García
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...
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 Bunting
Emberiza companyES: Escribano montesino Description L: 15-16.5cm; W:21.5-27cm; Brown-backed bird with black stripes; ocher underparts; grey head streaked with black on crown and cheeks. Both sexes of similar pattern and colour, but more...
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...
Common Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs ES: pinzón vulgar Description L: 14-16cm; W:24.5-28.5cm; Species with different plumage between both sexes. Male has grey crown and neck; pink chest and cheeks, and black forehead and bill; in winter, the colours appear...
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandarius ES: arrendajo euroasiático Description L: 32-35cm; W:54-58cm; Large-headed Corvid, brown plumage; clear belly; black and white ribbed crown; dark wings with alula and blue coverts streaked with black; white tail coverts....
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...
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...
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaea ES:Trepador azul Description L: 12 - 14cm; W:22-27cm; Bird that has a bluish-grey colour on the upper part, on the lower part it has an ocher belly and chest and a white throat. Head with a black band from bill to neck; grey...
Coal Tit
Periparus ater ES: Carbonero garrapinos Description L: 11.5cm; W:17-21cm; Bird with a grey back, white chest, yellowish tint on the flanks, two mottled wing bands. Black head with a white spot on the cheek and nape. Both sexes with fairly...
Goldcrest
Regulus regulus ES: Reyezuelo sencillo Description Small bird. Adult with yellow-green plumage and grey face; head with a yellow crown in the female and orange in the male. Juveniles lack a crown. Observation difficulty: Easy Status:...
Western Bonelli’s Warbler
Phylloscopus bonelli ES: Mosquitero papialbo Description L: 11-12cm; W:16-19cm; Both sexes have identical plumage, with brownish-grey upperparts with greenish tones; white underparts; greenish-yellow rump, edges of coverts and wing...
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...
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borin ES: Curruca mosquitera Description L: 14cm; W:20-25cm; Species without striking characters, with similar plumage for both sexes, not being possible to differentiate them. It has an olive-brown back, lighter in the lower parts,...
Common Whitethroat
Sylvia communis ES: Curruca zarcera Description L: 14cm; W:18-23cm Inconspicuous bird with a brown back and pale underparts, whiter on the throat; covert feathers, tertials and secondaries black with reddish-brown edging; brown 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....
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...
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...
Dunnock
Prunella modularisES: Acentor común Description L:13-14cm ;W: 19-21cm. Inconspicuous bird in colours, it has a bluish-grey head and underparts, brown auriculars with dark stripes, a chestnut-coloured back with black streaks and greater...
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...
Red-rumped Swallow
Cecropis daurica ES: Golondrina dáurica Description L: 17cm, W: 33cm. Bird with bluish-black areas on upperparts; ocher nape and rump; pale underparts and diffusely striated; with a forked tail and long outer tail feathers. Both sexes with...
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...
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoES: cárabo común Descripción L: 37-43cm; W: 81-96cm; Back gray or reddish, with dark streaks; light underparts streaked with dark; reddish-brown, vermiculated flight feathers; head with complete gray facial discs and no “ears”;...
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,...
Eurasian Dotterel
Charadrius morinellus ES: Chorlito carambolo Description L: 20,5-24 cm; W:57-64 cm; This uncommon bird is only present when migrating. During breeding, the female plumage stands out more conspicuously than the male. Ocher lower chest and...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
