The Extremadura region of La Siberia is a magnificent setting for the development of birdwatching tourism. Among the prime locations for bird observation, the Biosphere Reserve stands out as a benchmark for ornithologists worldwide, where cranes, black storks, Spanish imperial eagles, and black vultures can be spotted, as well as steppe birds, great bustards, and little bustards. Birdwatching tourism has become a key focus for the region's tourism development. This study aims to highlight the importance of Extremadura as a birdwatching tourism destination, providing marketing strategies for its successful development. To this end, information was collected, selected, and analyzed from secondary sources.
Ornithological Map
Featured species
The black stork (Ciconia nigra) is a species of stork in the family Ciconiidae, native to Eurasia and Africa. It is a migratory bird that breeds in temperate zones of Eurasia and Southern Africa and migrates to tropical Africa and South Asia. It is a large, slender bird with black plumage on its upperparts, head, neck, wings, and breast, and white underparts; its legs and beak are red.
The common crane (Grus grus) is a species of crane in the family Gruidae. It is a migratory bird that breeds in northern Eurasia and winters in southern Eurasia and North Africa.
The common crane is a tall, large bird. It is characterized by its long neck and legs, and in flight, it has straight, flat wings. It measures 100–130 cm in length and has a wingspan of 180–240 cm. Its weight ranges from 3 to 6.1 kg. Its standard measurements are: a maximum wing chord of 50.7–60.8 cm, a tarsus length of 20.1–25.2 cm, and a bill culm of 9.5–11.6 cm. Males are slightly heavier and larger than females, with weight showing the greatest sexual dimorphism, followed by wing length, middle toe length, and head length in adults and juveniles.
The great bustard (Otis tarda) is a species of otidiform bird in the family Otidae, the only member of the genus Otis, which gives the family its name. It is distributed throughout Europe (Iberian Peninsula and Central Europe) and across Asia to China, as well as North Africa. Most European populations are sedentary, but most Asian populations migrate to South Asia to spend the winter. There is little data on the average lifespan in the wild, but it is estimated at 10–15 years. It is a large bird and tends to run rather than fly when disturbed. It is gregarious year-round, but especially so in winter.
The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, the only member of its genus and one of the four vulture species found in Europe, along with the griffon vulture, the Egyptian vulture, and the bearded vulture. The average wingspan of this species is 250 cm, slightly larger than that of the griffon vulture, although there have been reports of individuals reaching up to three meters. No subspecies are recognized.²
It should not be confused with the American black vulture, a member of a different species (Coragyps atratus) and family (Cathartidae).
Its main distribution area is in Asia, encompassing the entire region from Turkey and the Caucasus to Manchuria. In Europe, it can be found in Crimea, Greece, several Mediterranean islands, and the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Iberian imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is one of the endemic birds of the Iberian Peninsula. Until recently, it was considered a subspecies of the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), but DNA studies of both birds carried out by researchers Seibold, Helbig, Meyburg, Negro, and Wink in 1996 demonstrated that they were sufficiently distinct to each constitute a valid species. The Iberian imperial eagle is a threatened bird; in 2013, 407 pairs were recorded on the Iberian Peninsula. Its binomial name commemorates Prince Adalbert of Bavaria.
The little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) is a species of otidiform bird in the family Otididae, the only member of the genus Tetrax. It is native to the southwestern Palearctic region. Its common name derives from the sound it makes in flight, as it emits a continuous whistling sound when beating its wings, caused by one of the outermost feathers being shorter than the others. In January 2017, it was chosen as Bird of the Year by SEO/Birdlife to highlight the sharp decline in its populations in recent years.
The little bustard is a slender bird with a long neck and legs, though not as long as those of wading birds. Despite being the smallest bustard in the Palearctic, it is a sizable bird, measuring 42 to 45 cm from beak to tail, with a wingspan of 90 to 110 cm and a weight of around 830 g. In flight, its long wings are entirely white on the underside and the distal half of the upper surface. The breeding male is distinguished by its black neck with two white stripes, one at the base and another in a V-shape in the middle.
Siberia, an ornithological destination