Portugal Special Protection Area for birds
Serra da Malcata
125 bird species recorded; the most in May.
Dario · CC BY-SA 1.0
This month here
41 species in January.36 species in February.28 species in March.45 species in April.75 species in May.54 species in June.32 species in July.39 species in August.44 species in September.53 species in October.39 species in November.40 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
VU
NT
NT
NT
NT
NTNT
NT
NT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
125 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).
- 125Speciesrecorded more than once
- 34Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 2,314Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 937 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 14Raptors
- 6Owls
- 1Gulls & seabirds
- 1Ducks & geese
- 2Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 81Songbirds
- 18Other 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 125 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
- Eurasian Black VultureAegypius monachusNT
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Eurasian Scops OwlOtus scops
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
Gulls & seabirds1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
Ducks & geese1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Herons, ibises & grebes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black storkCiconia nigra
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Songbirds81 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Great titParus major
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Rock BuntingEmberiza cia
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Iberian MagpieCyanopica cooki
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
- Subalpine WarblerSylvia cantillans
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Spectacled WarblerSylvia conspicillata
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Azure-winged MagpieCyanopica cyanus
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Rock SparrowPetronia petronia
- Western Orphean WarblerSylvia hortensis
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Rufous-tailed Scrub RobinErythropygia galactotes
Other birds18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- European SwiftApus apus
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Picus sharpeiPicus sharpei
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Great bustardOtis tarda
- Rock DoveColumba livia
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 May.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan8°/1°124 mm
- Feb9°/1°98 mm
- Mar12°/3°114 mm
- Apr15°/5°97 mm
- May20°/8°57 mm
- Jun26°/12°29 mm
- Jul31°/14°10 mm
- Aug31°/15°18 mm
- Sep26°/12°43 mm
- Oct19°/8°141 mm
- Nov12°/4°133 mm
- Dec9°/1°123 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Serra da Malcata.
Protected area in Portugal
Serra da Malcata is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Portugal, 937 m above the sea.
125 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 2,314 open records.
The most recorded are the European Robin, the Eurasian Chaffinch and the Griffon Vulture.
21 species come for the summer, 13 for the winter and 0 only pass through.
2 are threatened worldwide, including European Turtle Dove and Iberian Grey Shrike.
The most species are recorded in May.
Get there and watch
- Área de Serviço de Malcatacampsite · 6.9 km · 1 within 10 km
- Sabugalnearest town · 12 km in a straight line
- Aerodromo Goncalves Lobato (Viseu Airport) (VSE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 89 km in a straight lineCar hire in ViseuDiscover 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 kmPosto de Vigia Malcata
- 1marked trails within 4 kmGR45 - Grande Rota do Vale do Côa
- 1viewpoints within 5 kmMiradouro dos Sete Concelhos
- 1campsites within 10 kmÁrea de Serviço de Malcata
- bird hides within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- places to stay within 10 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 Serra da Malcata.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas28 mountains within 25 kmSerra da Opa · 15 kmSerra de Santa Marta · 18 kmVieiro das Gralhas · 19 kmSerra da Pena · 20 kmSerra do Ramiro · 21 kmCabeço de Escarigo · 22 kmSerra da Moreirinha569 m · 22 kmJálama1,492 m · 24 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.
Serra da Malcata
Portugal
- 52Birdyas Score
- 125Species
- 34Migrants
- 2Threatened
Tejo Internacional; Erges e Pônsul
Portugal · 61 km
- 61Birdyas Score
- 151Species
- 63Migrants
- 3Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q9077158) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 2,314 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 |
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