Spain Ramsar wetland
Salinas del Cabo de Gata
266 bird species recorded; the most from March to April and from September to October.
Pamelaestertorres · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
152 species in January.147 species in February.204 species in March.200 species in April.180 species in May.118 species in June.143 species in July.170 species in August.193 species in September.196 species in October.170 species in November.151 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
VUVU
NTVUVUNTNT
NT
NT
NTNTVU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
266 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).
- 266Speciesrecorded more than once
- 156Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 13ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 82,237Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 24Raptors
- 4Owls
- 36Waders
- 34Gulls & seabirds
- 20Ducks & geese
- 15Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 2Flamingos
- 98Songbirds
- 30Other 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 266 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- Egyptian vultureNeophron percnopterus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Eleonora's FalconFalco eleonorae
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Spanish Imperial EagleAquila adalbertiVU
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
Waders36 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Eurasian DotterelCharadrius morinellus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Cream-coloured CourserCursorius cursor
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
Gulls & seabirds34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Balearic shearwaterPuffinus mauretanicusCR
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaVU
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Common GullLarus canus
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegansNT
- Yelkouan ShearwaterPuffinus yelkouanVU
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Lesser Crested TernThalasseus bengalensis
Ducks & geese20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- White-headed duckOxyura leucocephala
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Marbled TealMarmaronetta angustirostrisNT
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Western Reef HeronEgretta gularis
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black storkCiconia nigra
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Common CraneGrus grus
Flamingos2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
- Lesser FlamingoPhoeniconaias minorNT
Songbirds98 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Trumpeter FinchBucanetes githagineus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Black WheatearOenanthe leucura
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Lesser Short-toed LarkCalandrella rufescens
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Rufous-tailed Scrub RobinErythropygia galactotes
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Pied CrowCorvus albus
- Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- Great titParus major
- Rock SparrowPetronia petronia
- Western Olivaceous WarblerIduna opaca
- Western Orphean WarblerSylvia hortensis
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Dupont's LarkChersophilus dupontiVU
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Rustic BuntingEmberiza rusticaNT
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Desert wheatearOenanthe deserti
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Ring OuzelTurdus torquatus
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Savi's WarblerLocustella luscinioides
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- Little BuntingEmberiza pusilla
- Subalpine WarblerSylvia cantillans
- Moustached WarblerAcrocephalus melanopogon
Other birds30 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- CootFulica atra
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- European SwiftApus apus
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Black-bellied SandgrousePterocles orientalis
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Red-necked NightjarCaprimulgus ruficollisNT
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Great bustardOtis tarda
- Porzana parvaPorzana parva
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Picus sharpeiPicus sharpei
- Little BustardTetrax tetraxNT
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- 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 from March to April and from September to October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan13°/4°25 mm
- Feb13°/4°23 mm
- Mar16°/6°29 mm
- Apr19°/9°26 mm
- May23°/12°14 mm
- Jun28°/17°4 mm
- Jul31°/20°1 mm
- Aug31°/20°5 mm
- Sep26°/17°20 mm
- Oct22°/13°26 mm
- Nov16°/8°34 mm
- Dec13°/5°32 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Salinas del Cabo de Gata.
Salt evaporation pond located in Almería, Spain
Salinas del Cabo de Gata is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Spain.
266 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 82,237 open records.
The most recorded are the Greater Flamingo, the Yellow-legged Gull and the Lesser Black-backed Gull.
76 species come for the summer, 70 for the winter and 10 only pass through.
13 are threatened worldwide, including Iberian Grey Shrike, Common Pochard and Grey Plover.
The most species are recorded from March to April and from September to October.
Get there and watch
- Camping Cabo de Gatacampsite · 4.4 km · 3 within 10 km
- Hotel Blanca Brisaplace to stay · 2.2 km · 26 within 10 km
- San Josénearest town · 10 km in a straight line
- Almería Airport (LEI)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 16 km in a straight lineCar hire at LEI airport (Almería)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
- 4bird hides within 6 kmObservatorio ornitológico, Observatory of Salinas and 2 more
- 1marked trails within 4 km
- 8viewpoints within 5 kmVela Blanca Poniente, Mirador las Sirenas, Observatory of Salinas and 5 more
- 10car parks within 3 km
- 17restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmCamping Cabo de Gata, Cabo de Gata Camper Park, Camper Park Olivares, Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Nijar-Almeria
- 26places to stay within 10 kmHotel Blanca Brisa, Hotel Las Salinas, Hostal Las Dunas and 23 more
- observation towers within 6 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 Salinas del Cabo de Gata.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmCerra Blanco, Níjar238 m · 12 kmEl Fraile493 m · 13 kmHoyazo de Níjar230 m · volcano · 22 kmRisco del Muerto · 24 kmCerro de San Cristóbal · 24 km
Coastya11 beaches within 10 kmPlaya de los Corraletes · 1.8 kmPlaya Ancón · 5.1 kmCala Rajá · 6.1 kmCala Carbón · 7.0 kmCala Chicré · 7.2 kmPlaya del Mónsul · 7.8 kmPlaya Torre Garcia · 8.3 kmPlaya de Los Genoveses · 9.2 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.
Salinas del Cabo de Gata
Spain
- 88Birdyas Score
- 266Species
- 156Migrants
- 13Threatened
Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park
Spain · 23 km
- 59Birdyas Score
- 110Species
- 52Migrants
- 3Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q107741436) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 82,237 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