Birding

Birding is one of the main sources of foreign visitors to Extremadura and is renowned among specialists as one of the top destinations for bird watching the southern Europe.

This is due to the existence of Monfragüe National Park and a number of key nature reserves in areas such as Cornalvo, Orellana, Los Gredos, La Serena and Los Barruecos. In fact, Monfragüe was named a National Park partly thanks to its bird watching potential: it really is a mecca for birders from all over the world.

Extremadura offers cheap hotels, decent access roads and good light with long evenings; these are important issues for birders. Moreover, it provides foreign aficionados with the chance to see species such as the Black-winged Kite, Bonelli's Eagle, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Black Wheatear, Hoopoe, Roller, Woodchat Shrike, Stork and vultures, all of which are so much more difficult to spot in northern Europe.

The above-mentioned range of species is present due to the variety of habitat that can be found in Extremadura. This includes steppe grassland, open woodland, river valleys and mountains.

As for what time of year to visit, the spring is an excellent season. Most migrants reach Extremadura by the beginning of April and the countryside is lush, full of flowers and vegetation which get burnt off in the heat of the summer months, when temperatures can reach 40ºC in southern parts of the region.