Portugal Special Protection Area for birds
Torre da Bolsa
173 bird species recorded; the most from April to May.
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
94 species in January.96 species in February.102 species in March.121 species in April.114 species in May.108 species in June.96 species in July.96 species in August.73 species in September.102 species in October.85 species in November.100 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
VU
VU
VU
NT
VU
VU
VU
VU
NT
NTVU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
173 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).
- 173Speciesrecorded more than once
- 85Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 10,454Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 203 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 17Raptors
- 5Owls
- 11Waders
- 4Gulls & seabirds
- 5Ducks & geese
- 13Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 90Songbirds
- 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 173 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Lesser kestrelFalco naumanni
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Eurasian Black VultureAegypius monachusNT
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Waders11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
Gulls & seabirds4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Black TernChlidonias niger
Ducks & geese5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- GadwallMareca strepera
Herons, ibises & grebes13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little BitternIxobrychus minutus
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Common CraneGrus grus
Songbirds90 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Spotless StarlingSturnus unicolor
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Iberian Grey ShrikeLanius meridionalisVU
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Great titParus major
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Spanish sparrowPasser hispaniolensis
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Western Olivaceous WarblerIduna opaca
- Red AvadavatAmandava amandava
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
- Yellow-crowned BishopEuplectes afer
- Iberian MagpieCyanopica cooki
- Eurasian Crag MartinPtyonoprogne rupestris
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Rock SparrowPetronia petronia
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Calandra larkMelanocorypha calandra
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Sardinian WarblerSylvia melanocephala
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlus
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Western Orphean WarblerSylvia hortensis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Rufous-tailed Scrub RobinErythropygia galactotes
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Azure-winged MagpieCyanopica cyanus
Other birds26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- European SwiftApus apus
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Little BustardTetrax tetraxNT
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Great bustardOtis tarda
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- CootFulica atra
- Red-necked NightjarCaprimulgus ruficollisNT
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- European RollerCoracias garrulus
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Black-bellied SandgrousePterocles orientalis
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 May.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan12°/2°57 mm
- Feb14°/3°53 mm
- Mar17°/5°66 mm
- Apr20°/8°56 mm
- May25°/11°38 mm
- Jun31°/15°13 mm
- Jul36°/18°4 mm
- Aug36°/18°5 mm
- Sep30°/16°28 mm
- Oct24°/11°88 mm
- Nov16°/6°76 mm
- Dec12°/3°59 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Torre da Bolsa.
Protected area in Portugal
Torre da Bolsa is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Portugal, 203 m above the sea.
173 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 10,454 open records.
The most recorded are the Eurasian Magpie, the House Sparrow and the Spotless Starling.
43 species come for the summer, 37 for the winter and 5 only pass through.
2 are threatened worldwide, including Iberian Grey Shrike and European Turtle Dove.
The most species are recorded from April to May.
Get there and watch
- Camping Piedadecampsite · 5.0 km · 3 within 10 km
- Hotel Brasaplace to stay · 2.6 km · 24 within 10 km
- Elvasnearest town · 4.0 km in a straight line
- Badajoz Airport (BJZ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 26 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
- 1observation towers within 6 km
- 1marked trails within 4 kmLinhas de Elvas
- 3visitor centres within 6 kmPosto de Turismo de Elvas, Posto Turismo
- 4viewpoints within 5 kmMiradouro da Parada do Castelo, Elvas and 3 more
- 68car parks within 3 km
- 4restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmCamping Piedade
- 24places to stay within 10 kmHotel Brasa, Hotel Jardim, Quinta Lagarto Pintado and 21 more
- bird hides 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 Torre da Bolsa.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas6 mountains within 25 kmSerra da Malefa · 5.6 kmSerra das Cabras do Carvão · 12 kmLomas de Santa María · 13 kmAlto da Esparregueira · 22 kmSierra de las Matanzas · 23 kmAlto dos Ripados · 25 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Torre da Bolsa
Portugal
- 64Birdyas Score
- 173Species
- 85Migrants
- 2Threatened
Complejo lagunar de La Albuera
Spain · 36 km
- 76Birdyas Score
- 177Species
- 94Migrants
- 6Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q63378428) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 10,454 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
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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