Portugal
Portugal occupies the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula, with a long Atlantic coastline and landscapes ranging from the mountainous north to the broad plains of the Alentejo and Mediterranean-influenced south. Major habitats include oak woodlands, scrub, agricultural steppe, river valleys, coastal dunes, lagoons and extensive estuaries. The Tagus and Sado estuaries form some of the country's largest wetlands, while the Algarve combines cliffs, saltmarshes and coastal lagoons. Portugal also includes the volcanic Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, whose isolation, subtropical climate and laurel forests contrast strongly with the mainland.
Overview
Portugal is an excellent European destination for raptors, steppe birds, wetlands and seabirds. The Alentejo around Castro Verde is particularly important for Great and Little Bustards, Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Montagu's Harrier, while the Tagus and Sado estuaries hold flamingos, spoonbills and large numbers of wintering and migrating waterbirds. Sagres is a major autumn migration watchpoint for raptors and passerines. Madeira and the Azores add distinctive island birding, including Trocaz Pigeon, Madeira Firecrest and Azores Bullfinch, as well as outstanding opportunities for pelagic seabirds. Portugal has good roads, extensive accommodation and an established nature-tourism sector, making independent birding straightforward. Its combination of Mediterranean specialties, major wetlands and Atlantic island endemics gives it unusually varied birding for a relatively small country.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula | 54.5% | 54.1% | 57.4% | 60.6% | 60.0% | 62.0% | 60.4% | 48.4% | 42.8% | 49.9% | 51.9% | 53.3% | 53.0% |
| House Sparrow Passer domesticus | 52.4% | 51.4% | 53.5% | 55.1% | 53.4% | 54.8% | 58.2% | 58.5% | 52.0% | 47.1% | 47.6% | 47.8% | 49.3% |
| Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor | 34.3% | 36.4% | 35.0% | 34.4% | 34.0% | 34.8% | 30.8% | 26.0% | 29.2% | 38.1% | 37.2% | 38.3% | 37.4% |
| European Robin Erithacus rubecula | 33.0% | 45.2% | 42.3% | 33.1% | 21.3% | 21.8% | 23.6% | 16.4% | 18.4% | 27.4% | 44.6% | 53.2% | 48.7% |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto | 32.8% | 31.4% | 35.2% | 36.2% | 35.5% | 33.6% | 33.7% | 35.5% | 36.6% | 34.0% | 28.0% | 26.3% | 27.3% |
| Rock Pigeon Columba livia | 31.7% | 34.3% | 34.7% | 34.2% | 26.6% | 26.1% | 29.9% | 32.9% | 32.7% | 31.7% | 31.8% | 32.8% | 32.5% |
| Sardinian Warbler Curruca melanocephala | 30.9% | 32.0% | 31.5% | 31.3% | 29.3% | 26.5% | 23.7% | 21.9% | 27.0% | 37.2% | 36.7% | 38.3% | 35.6% |
| White Wagtail Motacilla alba | 30.1% | 43.3% | 38.7% | 30.0% | 16.8% | 16.0% | 20.6% | 22.1% | 24.3% | 26.7% | 31.7% | 45.0% | 46.2% |
| European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis | 28.9% | 26.8% | 28.5% | 34.1% | 32.6% | 30.1% | 30.5% | 27.2% | 24.2% | 24.6% | 27.7% | 31.3% | 28.6% |
| Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla | 28.3% | 28.1% | 29.7% | 31.9% | 30.2% | 32.4% | 37.9% | 35.3% | 21.1% | 15.9% | 22.3% | 26.3% | 28.1% |