Spain Special Protection Area for birds
Marismas de Isla Cristina
225 bird species recorded; the most from March to April and from December to January.
Fanattiq · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
149 species in January.149 species in February.160 species in March.154 species in April.109 species in May.131 species in June.131 species in July.143 species in August.147 species in September.149 species in October.147 species in November.152 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
NT
NT
NTNT
VU
VUNT
NT
VU
NT
NT
NTNT
NTNTVU
NTNTNTVU
NTNTNTVUNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
225 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).
- 225Speciesrecorded more than once
- 97Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 9ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 42,689Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 16Raptors
- 5Owls
- 33Waders
- 36Gulls & seabirds
- 15Ducks & geese
- 12Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 79Songbirds
- 26Other 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 225 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
Waders33 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
Gulls & seabirds36 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Balearic shearwaterPuffinus mauretanicusCR
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Common GullLarus canus
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Wilson's Storm-PetrelOceanites oceanicus
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
Ducks & geese15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
Herons, ibises & grebes12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds79 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Iberian MagpieCyanopica cooki
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- Great titParus major
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Lesser Short-toed LarkCalandrella rufescens
- European Rock PipitAnthus petrosus
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Rock SparrowPetronia petronia
- Western Orphean WarblerSylvia hortensis
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
Other birds26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- European SwiftApus apus
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Picus sharpeiPicus sharpei
- CootFulica atra
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Red-necked NightjarCaprimulgus ruficollisNT
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Blue-and-yellow MacawAra ararauna
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Yellow-collared LovebirdAgapornis personatus
- Rosy-faced LovebirdAgapornis roseicollis
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 March to April and from December to January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan15°/11°51 mm
- Feb15°/11°53 mm
- Mar17°/12°70 mm
- Apr18°/14°66 mm
- May21°/16°37 mm
- Jun25°/19°8 mm
- Jul27°/20°1 mm
- Aug27°/21°3 mm
- Sep25°/20°22 mm
- Oct22°/18°77 mm
- Nov18°/14°94 mm
- Dec16°/12°75 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Marismas de Isla Cristina.
Protected area in Andalusia, Spain
Marismas de Isla Cristina is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Spain.
225 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 42,689 open records.
The most recorded are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Yellow-legged Gull and the House Sparrow.
38 species come for the summer, 48 for the winter and 11 only pass through.
9 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, Iberian Grey Shrike and Curlew Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded from March to April and from December to January.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- Camper Park Playas de Luzcampsite · 2.5 km · 10 within 10 km
- Barceló Isla Cristinaplace to stay · 2.3 km · 51 within 10 km
- Isla Cristinanearest town · 2.5 km in a straight line
- Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (FAO)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 60 km in a straight lineCar hire at FAO airport (Faro)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 kmMirador aves
- 1observation towers within 6 kmTorre Vigilancia Playas
- 5marked trails within 4 kmVía Verde del Litoral, Sendero Salinas del Duque, Camino de Valdecerros y Vera Abajo and 2 more
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmOficina de Turismo
- 3viewpoints within 5 kmPuerto, El Faro, Marismas de Isla Cristina
- 25car parks within 3 km
- 41restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 10campsites within 10 kmCamper Park Playas de Luz, Camping Giralda Isla Cristina, Autocaravanas Puerto de Ayamonte and 7 more
- 51places to stay within 10 kmBarceló Isla Cristina, Apartamentos Paraíso Andaluz, Hotel Paraíso Playa and 48 more
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Marismas de Isla Cristina.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Coastya12 beaches within 10 kmPlaya de Caiman · 1.7 km↗Punta del Moral · 2.8 kmPlaya Giralda · 4.0 km↗Playa de Canela · 4.9 kmPlaya Taray · 6.9 km↗Praia da Ponta da Areia · 7.2 km↗Playa Islantilla · 9.5 kmPraia de Monte Gordo · 9.8 km↗
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Marismas de Isla Cristina
Spain
- 83Birdyas Score
- 225Species
- 97Migrants
- 9Threatened
Sapais de Castro Marim (Special Protection Area)
Portugal · 9 km
- 87Birdyas Score
- 273Species
- 136Migrants
- 10Threatened
Lagunas de Palos y Las Madres
Spain · 42 km
- 85Birdyas Score
- 233Species
- 112Migrants
- 9Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q3364572) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 42,689 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 | 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