Portugal Special Protection Area for birds
Lajes do Pico - Ilha do Pico
113 bird species recorded; the most from October to January.
btvarusko · CC BY 2.0
This month here
58 species in January.51 species in February.47 species in March.46 species in April.39 species in May.43 species in June.39 species in July.44 species in August.48 species in September.63 species in October.58 species in November.63 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
NTVU
NTVU
NTVU
NTVU
NTVU
VUNT
NTVU
NTVUNTVU
NTVUNTVU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
113 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).
- 113Speciesrecorded more than once
- 44Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 28,109Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 3Raptors
- 1Owls
- 25Waders
- 28Gulls & seabirds
- 16Ducks & geese
- 12Herons, ibises & grebes
- 18Songbirds
- 10Other 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 113 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Waders25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- RedshankTringa totanus
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
Gulls & seabirds28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Bulwer’s petrelBulweria bulwerii
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinus
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
- Barolo ShearwaterPuffinus baroli
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Band-rumped Storm PetrelOceanodroma castro
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Hydrobates monteiroiHydrobates monteiroiVU
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
Ducks & geese16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
Herons, ibises & grebes12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
Songbirds18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Atlantic CanarySerinus canaria
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Fringilla morelettiFringilla moreletti
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
Other birds10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- CootFulica atra
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Allen's GallinulePorphyrio alleni
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from October to January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan16°/15°84 mm
- Feb16°/14°81 mm
- Mar16°/14°83 mm
- Apr16°/14°64 mm
- May18°/16°62 mm
- Jun20°/18°46 mm
- Jul23°/20°28 mm
- Aug24°/22°33 mm
- Sep23°/21°66 mm
- Oct20°/19°91 mm
- Nov18°/17°71 mm
- Dec17°/15°114 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Lajes do Pico - Ilha do Pico.
Protected area in Portugal
Lajes do Pico - Ilha do Pico is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Portugal.
113 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 28,109 open records.
The most recorded are the Grey Wagtail, the Rock Dove and the House Sparrow.
14 species come for the summer, 29 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
8 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, White-rumped Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher.
The most species are recorded from October to January.
Get there and watch
- VisitingHours in OpenStreetMap: 24/7Official site↗
- Parque de Campismo das Lajescampsite · 0.5 km · 1 within 10 km
- Engenho Boutique Hostelplace to stay · 0.7 km · 14 within 10 km
- Lajesnearest town · 0.7 km in a straight line
- Pico Airport (PIX)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 25 km in a straight lineCar hire at PIX airport (Pico Island)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
- 1observation towers within 6 kmVigia da Queimada
- 3marked trails within 4 kmPR15PIC Mistérios do Sul do Pico, PR17PIC Quintas e Ribeiras, PRC12PIC Lajes do Pico
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmPosto de Turismo
- 7viewpoints within 5 kmPonta do Arrife, Miradoure, Ponta da Queimada and 4 more
- 14car parks within 3 km
- 11restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 1campsites within 10 kmParque de Campismo das Lajes
- 14places to stay within 10 kmEngenho Boutique Hostel, Whale' come ao Pico, Alojamento Bela Vista and 11 more
- bird hides 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 Lajes do Pico - Ilha do Pico.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas93 mountains within 25 kmCabeço do Caveiro · 6.8 kmCabeço da Lavandeira · 9.8 kmCabeço da Serreta · 11 kmCabeço da Rochinha · 12 kmCabeço da Brindeira · 12 kmCabeço do Caminho Escuro · 15 kmCabeço da Lambisca · 15 kmMount Pico2,351 m · volcano · 16 km↗
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Lajes do Pico - Ilha do Pico
Portugal
- 65Birdyas Score
- 113Species
- 44Migrants
- 8Threatened
Furnas / Sto.António - Ilha do Pico
Portugal · 18 km
- 44Birdyas Score
- 68Species
- 20Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q63378396) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 28,109 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, Islandyas, 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