Portugal Special Protection Area for birds
Vale do Côa
144 bird species recorded; the most from April to June and in August.
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
67 species in January.72 species in February.90 species in March.101 species in April.100 species in May.100 species in June.74 species in July.100 species in August.87 species in September.79 species in October.68 species in November.57 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
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NTNT
NT
NT
NT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
144 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).
- 144Speciesrecorded more than once
- 70Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 3ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 15,118Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 382 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 20Raptors
- 4Owls
- 4Waders
- 1Ducks & geese
- 2Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 89Songbirds
- 22Other 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 144 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
- Egyptian vultureNeophron percnopterus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Eurasian Black VultureAegypius monachusNT
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
- Rüppell's VultureGyps rueppelliiCR
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
Waders4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
Ducks & geese1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Herons, ibises & grebes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Songbirds89 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Great titParus major
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Iberian MagpieCyanopica cooki
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Western Orphean WarblerSylvia hortensis
- Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- Rock SparrowPetronia petronia
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Subalpine WarblerSylvia cantillans
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Azure-winged MagpieCyanopica cyanus
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Black WheatearOenanthe leucura
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
Other birds22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- European SwiftApus apus
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Red-necked NightjarCaprimulgus ruficollisNT
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Little BustardTetrax tetraxNT
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
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 April to June and in August.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan9°/1°117 mm
- Feb11°/1°88 mm
- Mar14°/3°104 mm
- Apr17°/6°87 mm
- May21°/9°54 mm
- Jun28°/13°30 mm
- Jul32°/15°12 mm
- Aug32°/15°19 mm
- Sep28°/13°40 mm
- Oct20°/9°126 mm
- Nov13°/4°114 mm
- Dec10°/1°112 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Vale do Côa.
Protected area in Portugal
Vale do Côa is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Portugal, 382 m above the sea.
144 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 15,118 open records.
The most recorded are the Eurasian Blackbird, the Griffon Vulture and the Eurasian Chaffinch.
44 species come for the summer, 23 for the winter and 3 only pass through.
3 are threatened worldwide, including Iberian Grey Shrike, European Turtle Dove and Rüppell's Vulture.
The most species are recorded from April to June and in August.
Get there and watch
- Hortas da Saboiacampsite · 2.1 km · 2 within 10 km
- Longroiva Hotel Rural & Termal Spaplace to stay · 11 km · 1 within 10 km
- Figueira de Castelo Rodrigonearest town · 11 km in a straight line
- Vila Real Airport (VRL)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 66 km in a straight lineCar hire at OPO airport (Porto)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
- 2marked trails within 4 kmGrande Rota das Aldeias Históricas, GR45 - Grande Rota do Vale do Côa
- 2viewpoints within 5 kmPoio do Gato
- 2campsites within 10 kmHortas da Saboia
- 1places to stay within 10 kmLongroiva Hotel Rural & Termal Spa
- bird hides within 6 km
- 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 Vale do Côa.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmMonte Meão · 12 kmSerra Alta · 15 kmSão Cibrão · 16 kmMonte da Maria Mendes · 18 kmCabeço do Servo · 20 km
Riveryasthe river nearbyCôa140 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Vale do Côa
Portugal
- 62Birdyas Score
- 144Species
- 70Migrants
- 3Threatened
Douro Internacional e Vale do Águeda
Portugal · 33 km
- 57Birdyas Score
- 141Species
- 57Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q63378405) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 15,118 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, Riveryas |
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