Spain may not be the first place you think of when planning a bird watching trip, but it has some amazing birds to see. With some species only available in Spain, it is worth a visit.
The seven birds endemic to Spain are the Bolle’s pigeon, white-tailed laurel pigeon, Canary Islands chiffchaff, Balearic warbler, Fuerteventura stonechat, Tenerife blue chiffchaff, and Gran Canaria blue chiffchaff. None of these can be found on the mainland but would need a trip to the Canary Islands.
If you want to check off all the birds worldwide, you need to go to Spain as these seven birds can’t be seen anywhere else. However, because of their locality, it isn’t easy to see some of them.
Spain is a great place to visit with over 600 species. The Canary Islands are easy to get to for most Europeans and are an excellent place to view rare birds. With the Canary Islands being so small, it is unfortunate that the habitat is going to make so many species vulnerable to extinction.
If you are going to Barbados, dont miss this bird. You can only find it on the island
Bolle’s Pigeon
Bolle’s pigeon, Columba bollii is also known as the dark-tailed laurel pigeon. They are larger than most pigeons with long tails with a black terminal band. They have dark grey plumage, which along with the small brown patches on each side of the neck, distinguishes them from other pigeons on the island. They have a pinkish breast and a red beak.
They can be found on the Canary Islands and are located on El Hierro in Golfo and Sabinosa. On La Gomera, they can be found in Garajonay National Park. In La Palma, they are found in the northeast, and in Tenerife, they can be seen in Anaga in the northeast and Teno in the northwest.
Bolle’s pigeon can be found in mountainous areas and ravines of laurel forests and open spaces. They live in habitats from elevations of 1300-1500 metres but in Tenerife as low as 600 metres.
They make a cooing noise with rhythmic phrases, generally comprising of four notes.
Going to Montserrat? Dont miss this bird which you can only see there
White-tailed laurel-pigeon
The white-tailed laurel-pigeon Columba junoniae is a large pigeon with dark grey and green or purple iridescence. The neck, crown and nape are green and reddish-purple with red underparts. Their rump is dark blueish with a white terminal band on a pale grey tail.
They can be found on El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma, and Tenerife. The largest population occurs in La Palma, where they can be seen over the northern parts of the island. It is also common on La Gomera, where it is the animal symbol of the island.
They live on steep slopes in deep canyons in the mountainous parts of the islands with elevations up to 1600 metres.
Their call is a low-pitched cooing ‘coorrh..cuooouh, cuoooh, cuoooh.
Francesco Veronesi Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
Canary Islands chiffchaff
The Canary Islands chiffchaff Phylloscopus canariensis is a medium-sized warbler. They have brownish-olive upperparts and crown, with a brighter green lower back and uppertail coverts. Their wings and outer tail feathers are fringed green, with a whitish-yellow chin and throat.
There is only one subspecies of Canary Islands chiffchaff. The Western Canary Island chiffchaff Phylloscopus canariensis canariensis is found in La Gomera, Gran Canaria, Hierro, and Tenerife, while the Eastern Canary Islands chiffchaff Phylloscopus canariensis exsul is now thought to be extinct from Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
The Canary Islands chiffchaff can be found in bushes in gardens, pine forests, and mixed woodland.
They make a variety of noises, including a sharp, hoarse, ‘hwit’ or ‘wheet’, with a song of ‘dschi-dsche-sche-schi-sche-schi-schi.’
Balearic warbler
The Balearic warbler Curruca balearica are small birds with large heads and distinctive red legs. They are bluish-grey above with paler, pinkish underparts. They have a dark front mask with a pale grey throat and chin.
As their name suggests, they can be found in the Balearic Islands of Cabrera, Dragonera, Formentera, Ibiza, and Mallorca. However, they cannot be found in Menorca. They can be found in treeless areas and also in pine forests with a scrub layer. They can be seen at elevations up to 1200 metres.
They make a ‘tsred’ or ‘swit-swit’ sound from a perch on low shrubs.
Fuerteventura stonechat
The Fuerteventura stonechat Saxicola dacotiae is also known as the Canary Islands stonechat. They are small birds, with a dark head and face, white half-collar and chin, with an area of rufous-orange on breast and shading to all-white underparts.
While it was once found all over the Canary Islands, it is now only found on Fuerteventura. However, there is a subspecies Canary Island chat Saxicola dacotiae murielae found off Lanzarote in the two uninhabited islands of Montaña Clara and Alegranza.
They can be found in Fuerteventura in ravines, gorges, and rocky slopes but can also be found in more open areas such as lava flows and cultivated areas at elevations over 200 metres.
Tenerife blue chaffinch
The Tenerife blue chaffinch Fringilla teydea are larger than common chaffinches with a thicker bill. They don’t have a dark cap, and while females are grey-brown, males are deep blue with a black tail and upperwing coverts black with bluish-white tips.
They can be found in forests of Canary pine at elevations up to 2300 metres. They prefer areas of undergrowth with plenty of holly and tree-heath.
They have a song of ‘chip-chip-chip-chip-chip-chip-chip-chip-chiu-chuiooo’ with a trill ‘schi-errrr’ call.
Gran Canaria blue chaffinch
The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch Fringilla polatzeki was originally a subspecies of the Tenerife blue chaffinch Fringilla teydea. Males are smaller than the Tenerife blue chaffinch, with two white wing bands and a whiter belly. Females are not blue but greyish-brown.
They can be found in the Inaqua Natural Reserve on Gran Canaria in elevations between 700 and 1200 metres. They prefer habitats of dense Canary Island pine.
Their song is higher-pitched than the Tenerife blue chaffinch but is less noticeable.
References
Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, H. M. Horblit, G. M. Kirwan, P. F. D. Boesman, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Bolle’s Pigeon (Columba bollii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bolpig1.01
Baptista, L. F., P. W. Trail, H. M. Horblit, P. F. D. Boesman, and E. F. J. Garcia (2020). Laurel Pigeon (Columba junoniae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.laupig1.01
Clement, P. (2020). Canary Islands Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.caichi1.01
Aymí, R. and G. Gargallo (2021). Balearic Warbler (Curruca balearica), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.balwar1.01.1
Collar, N. (2020). Fuerteventura Stonechat (Saxicola dacotiae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.caisto1.01
Clement, P., C. J. Sharpe, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Tenerife Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla teydea), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.blucha2.01
del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.blucha3.01
