Portugal Special Protection Area for birds
Lagoa da Sancha
196 bird species recorded; the most in September.
Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL · CC BY-SA 2.0
This month here
128 species in January.85 species in February.88 species in March.116 species in April.99 species in May.93 species in June.88 species in July.109 species in August.140 species in September.118 species in October.94 species in November.110 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.
NT
VU
VU
NT
VU
NT
NTVUNTVU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
196 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).
- 196Speciesrecorded more than once
- 85Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 6ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 8,767Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 13Raptors
- 2Owls
- 25Waders
- 18Gulls & seabirds
- 18Ducks & geese
- 14Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 81Songbirds
- 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 196 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
Waders25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- RuffCalidris pugnax
Gulls & seabirds18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Balearic shearwaterPuffinus mauretanicusCR
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Common GullLarus canus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
Ducks & geese18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Ringed TealCallonetta leucophrys
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
Herons, ibises & grebes14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds81 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Iberian MagpieCyanopica cooki
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Great titParus major
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Yellow-crowned BishopEuplectes afer
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Azure-winged MagpieCyanopica cyanus
Other birds23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- CootFulica atra
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Picus sharpeiPicus sharpei
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- European SwiftApus apus
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
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 September.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan15°/8°54 mm
- Feb15°/8°48 mm
- Mar18°/9°57 mm
- Apr20°/11°54 mm
- May23°/13°31 mm
- Jun26°/16°10 mm
- Jul28°/16°2 mm
- Aug29°/17°4 mm
- Sep27°/16°26 mm
- Oct23°/14°74 mm
- Nov18°/11°85 mm
- Dec15°/8°61 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lagoa da Sancha.
Protected area in Portugal
Lagoa da Sancha is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Portugal.
196 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 8,767 open records.
The most recorded are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Carrion Crow and the Yellow-legged Gull.
46 species come for the summer, 37 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
6 are threatened worldwide, including Iberian Grey Shrike, Common Pochard and European Turtle Dove.
The most species are recorded in September.
Get there and watch
- Praiascampsite · 8.2 km · 4 within 10 km
- Monte Cabanas do Marplace to stay · 5.4 km · 13 within 10 km
- Santo Andrénearest town · 6.5 km in a straight line
- Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 88 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
- 1bird hides within 6 kmAbrigo para observação de aves
- 1marked trails within 4 kmPercurso da lagoa da Sancha
- 1viewpoints within 5 km
- 4campsites within 10 kmPraias, Estação de Serviço Parque de Campismo Lagoa de Santo André, Parque de Campismo de Santo André and 1 more
- 13places to stay within 10 kmMonte Cabanas do Mar, Hotel Vila Park, Hotel Rural Monte da Lezíria and 10 more
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 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 Lagoa da Sancha.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas1 mountains within 25 kmMorro do Paneiro · 19 km
Coastya3 beaches within 10 kmPraia da Lagoa · 6.5 kmPraia Vasco da Gama · 8.1 kmPraia Grande · 8.5 km
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmLagoa de Santo André2.4 km² · 9.7 kmLagoa de Melides1.0 km² · 14 km
Darkskyas1 dark-sky places within 30 kmPessegueiro IslandBortle 3 · 21 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Lagoa da Sancha
Portugal
- 74Birdyas Score
- 196Species
- 85Migrants
- 6Threatened
Estuário do Sado (Special Protection Area)
Portugal · 49 km
- 80Birdyas Score
- 244Species
- 120Migrants
- 7Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q63378438) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 8,767 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, Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
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