Portugal Special Protection Area for birds
Açude da Murta
192 bird species recorded; the most in January and in March.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
131 species in January.120 species in February.122 species in March.112 species in April.113 species in May.89 species in June.89 species in July.109 species in August.113 species in September.93 species in October.111 species in November.118 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
NT
NTVU
NT
VU
NT
NT
NTNT
VU
NT
NTNTNTNTNTNTVU
NTNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
192 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 192Speciesrecorded more than once
- 89Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 5ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 14,958Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 17Raptors
- 6Owls
- 28Waders
- 8Gulls & seabirds
- 11Ducks & geese
- 13Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 83Songbirds
- 23Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 192 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
Waders28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- RedshankTringa totanus
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
Gulls & seabirds8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
Ducks & geese11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
Herons, ibises & grebes13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds83 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Great titParus major
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Yellow-crowned BishopEuplectes afer
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Iberian MagpieCyanopica cooki
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Rock SparrowPetronia petronia
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- Azure-winged MagpieCyanopica cyanus
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Red AvadavatAmandava amandava
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
Other birds23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- CootFulica atra
- European SwiftApus apus
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Picus sharpeiPicus sharpei
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Red-necked NightjarCaprimulgus ruficollisNT
- Great bustardOtis tarda
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January and in March.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan15°/6°60 mm
- Feb16°/6°51 mm
- Mar18°/8°60 mm
- Apr20°/10°54 mm
- May24°/12°34 mm
- Jun28°/15°13 mm
- Jul30°/16°3 mm
- Aug31°/16°5 mm
- Sep28°/16°28 mm
- Oct23°/14°78 mm
- Nov18°/9°86 mm
- Dec15°/7°61 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Açude da Murta.
Protected area in Portugal
Açude da Murta is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Portugal.
192 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 14,958 open records.
The most recorded are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Little Egret and the White Stork.
41 species come for the summer, 47 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
5 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, European Turtle Dove and Iberian Grey Shrike.
The most species are recorded in January and in March.
Get there and watch
- Casas da Tia Emíliaplace to stay · 3.5 km · 10 within 10 km
- Comportanearest town · 6.4 km in a straight line
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 57 km in a straight lineCar hire at LIS airport (Lisbon)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1viewpoints within 5 kmCais palafítico da Carrasqueira
- 1car parks within 3 km
- 1restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 km
- 10places to stay within 10 kmCasas da Tia Emília, Aldeamento Turístico Casas da Comporta, AlmaLusa Comporta and 7 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Açude da Murta.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmSão Formosinho · 15 kmSerrinha · 20 kmAlto do Poiso do Cortiço · 24 kmArrábida Mountain501 m · 25 kmValongo · 25 km
Coastya2 beaches within 10 kmPlaya De Comporta · 8.3 kmPraia dos Brejos · 9.6 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Açude da Murta
Portugal
- 72Birdyas Score
- 192Species
- 89Migrants
- 5Threatened
Estuário do Sado (Special Protection Area)
Portugal · 7 km
- 80Birdyas Score
- 244Species
- 120Migrants
- 7Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q63378422) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 14,958 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit