Spain Ramsar wetland
Embalse de Orellana
152 bird species recorded; the most in February and in April.
kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
89 species in January.108 species in February.87 species in March.115 species in April.82 species in May.50 species in June.28 species in July.10 species in August.35 species in September.53 species in October.49 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.
VU
VU
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
VU
VU
VUVU
VU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
152 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).
- 152Speciesrecorded more than once
- 85Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 3,239Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 310 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 19Raptors
- 2Owls
- 11Waders
- 6Gulls & seabirds
- 15Ducks & geese
- 10Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 63Songbirds
- 24Other 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 152 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Eurasian Black VultureAegypius monachusNT
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Spanish Imperial EagleAquila adalbertiVU
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Egyptian vultureNeophron percnopterus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
Waders11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
Gulls & seabirds6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Little TernSternula albifrons
Ducks & geese15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Swan GooseAnser cygnoides
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
Herons, ibises & grebes10 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Common CraneGrus grus
Songbirds63 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Iberian MagpieCyanopica cooki
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Great titParus major
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Rock SparrowPetronia petronia
- ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
Other birds24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- European SwiftApus apus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- Red-necked NightjarCaprimulgus ruficollisNT
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Pin-tailed SandgrousePterocles alchata
- CootFulica atra
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Black-bellied SandgrousePterocles orientalis
- Great bustardOtis tarda
- Little BustardTetrax tetraxNT
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Picus sharpeiPicus sharpei
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
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 February and in April.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan11°/2°41 mm
- Feb13°/2°44 mm
- Mar17°/5°56 mm
- Apr20°/8°49 mm
- May26°/11°32 mm
- Jun32°/16°10 mm
- Jul36°/19°2 mm
- Aug36°/20°6 mm
- Sep30°/16°24 mm
- Oct23°/11°69 mm
- Nov16°/5°59 mm
- Dec12°/2°48 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Embalse de Orellana.
Embalse de Orellana is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Spain, 310 m above the sea.
152 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 3,239 open records.
The most recorded are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Mallard and the Great Cormorant.
29 species come for the summer, 49 for the winter and 7 only pass through.
4 are threatened worldwide, including Common Pochard, Iberian Grey Shrike and Spanish Imperial Eagle.
The most species are recorded in February and in April.
Get there and watch
- Camping Balcón de Orellanacampsite · 1.5 km · 2 within 10 km
- Hotel GilMarplace to stay · 2.4 km · 17 within 10 km
- Orellana la Viejanearest town · 2.3 km in a straight line
- Badajoz Airport (BJZ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 112 km in a straight lineCar hire at BJZ airport (Badajoz)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 kmEtapa 24: Puebla de Alcocer - Orellana la Vieja, Etapa 25: Orellana la Vieja - Valdivia
- 8car parks within 3 km
- 5restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 kmCamping Balcón de Orellana
- 17places to stay within 10 kmHotel GilMar, Casa Rural de las Aves, Casa Rural de las Regatas and 14 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 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 Embalse de Orellana.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas8 mountains within 25 kmLa Tiesa · 9.2 kmCerro de los Tunos · 11 kmCerro Sagrado · 15 kmSierra de la Zarzuela · 18 kmSierra del Integral378 m · 19 kmCerro del Toril · 19 kmEl Arrecife · 20 kmCerro del Acebuche · 23 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmZújar Reservoir13 km² · 8.8 km
Riveryasthe river nearbyGuadiana778 km · 70 m³/s↗Caia RiverAlbarregasRuecas RiverRibeira de OeirasArroyo del EntrínGuadalefraGuadámez River
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.
Embalse de Orellana
Spain
- 68Birdyas Score
- 152Species
- 85Migrants
- 4Threatened
Complejo lagunar de La Albuera
Spain · 111 km
- 76Birdyas Score
- 177Species
- 94Migrants
- 6Threatened
Tablas de Daimiel National Park
Spain · 159 km
- 79Birdyas Score
- 226Species
- 132Migrants
- 6Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q11681443) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 3,239 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, Lakeyas, 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