Mediterranean biodiversity:
“Big 5” of species in Andalusia
Andalusian biodiversity… Many species to discover. In each section, you will find species to discover in our region.
“Big 5” Common mediterranean birds
Birdwatching in the Mediterranean region offers a diverse avifauna and stunning landscapes. Some common species are among the most attractive for their shape, colouration and behaviours. Andalusia is no exception: the Iberian magpie is endemic from Spain and Portugal and common in Doñana and Sierra Morena. Beginner’s checklist of birds of Andalusia.





European bee-eater
Glossy ibis
Purple swamp-hen
Lesser kestrel
Iberian Magpie
“Big 5” Common mediterranean orchids
Orchids in Andalusia can be best spotted in Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de las Nieves, mountains with bedrock of limestone and milder climate. Bee orchids such as Yellow, Mirror and Sawfly bee orchids are especially abundant in meadows and small grassy patches. Check our illustrated guide of Andalusian wild orchids to discover the 10 species within the genus Ophrys.





Yellow bee-orchid
Mirror orchid
Sawfly orchid
Narrow-lipped Serapias
Orchis homme-nu
“Big 5” Raptors of Southern Europe
Not only Spain harbours among the highest densities of birds of prey in Europe, its mountains and mediterranean forests hosts populations of rare and threatened species. Spanish imperial eagle is definitively a Big 5, on the brink extinction in the 80′, this iconic raptor is nowadays recovering in Sierra Morena. Cinereous and Bearded vultures are thriving in Iberia like in no other territory.





Spanish imperial eagle
Bonelli’s eagle
Bearded vulture
Cinereous vulture
Black-shouldered kite
“Big 5” Amphibians endemic to Spain
The Iberian Peninsula is highly isolated by the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean sea. As a consequence, in terrestrial groups with limited mobility such as the amphibians, a high rate of endemicity can be observed. Nearly all Andalusian amphibians are restcited to Spain and Portugal, a few species with a narrow distribution such as the Penibetic salamander and the Betic midwife toad.





Pygmy marbled newt
Long-snouted salamander
Betic midwife toad
Iberian parsley frog
Iberian painted frog
“Big 5” Southern species of mammals
The fauna of southern Spain typically presents abundant populations of large herbivores and diverse medium-size carnivores. The Iberian lynx is the “Big 5” mammal without a doubt. Otter and the Egyptian mongoose also are attractive species which can bee seen with a bit of luck. No many European regions present such interest to the wildlife observer.





Iberian lynx
Spanish ibex
Egyptian mongoose
Eurasian otter
Cabrera’s vole
“Big 5” Doñana waterfowl and waterbirds





White-headed duck
Ferruginous duck
Marbled teal
Squacco heron
Red-knobbed coot
“Big 5” Reptiles in Andalusia
It is no exaggeration to state that Spain has the highest diversity of reptiles in Europe. Cold blooded animals are favoured by the Mediterranean climate and its geographical position originates endemics such as Spanish algyroides and Iberian Worm Lizard. Identification is generally straightforward, b





Common chameleon
Iberian worm lizard
Common wall gecko
Spanish algyroides
Lataste’s viper
“Big 5” Rare Andalusian orchids
Among the sixty or so orchids present in Andalusia (2/3 of the Spanish inventory), a few species are extremelly rare and restricted to habitats of little extent: borders of mountain streams, wet grasslands, temperate woodlands. Green butterfly-orchid, Gennaria and Cazorla orchids are rarities of special beauty and difficult to locate in the field.





Atlantic ophrys
Green butterfly-orchid
Cazorla orchid
Sulfurous orchid
Gennaria
“Big 5” Marine fauna of the Strait of Gibraltar
For wildlife observers, some parts of the Andalusian coast are more attractive: the Gibraltar Strait, Doñana beaches, Punta de Calaburras, Punta Entinas or Cabo de Gata. Marine birds, cetacean, sea turtles and some fish like tuna, flying-fish or moonfish are visible without diving, with telescopes from the coast line. 100% of Balearic shearwaters cross the Strait twice a year, alternating their breeding in the Mediterranean with wintering in the NW Atlantic.





Killer whale
Sperm whale
Balearic shearwater
Loggerhead sea turtle
Blue flyingfish
“Big 5” Iberian steppe birds
In Europe, the most threatened birds, as a group, are the farmland/steppes specialists, which habitat suffers heavily from the industrialization of agriculture. The largest populations of steppic birds are still located in Spain with its immense extents of plains and wheat fields. Bustards, sandgrouses, rollers and other farmland birds are every year more scattered and rare, missing real conservation programs for their recovery.





Great bustard
Little bustard
Ganga cata
Pin-tailed sandgrouse
European roller
“Big 5” Rare birds in Europe
About sixty species of regular and non vagrant birds present in Andalusia are extremely rare at the European scale. Either they are endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and can only be seen in this territory ; Either Spanish populations are the most important ones in the continent by far ; Either they are African species making their way throrought Andalusia. For this reason, Spain is considered a paradise for birdwatchers with many targets to look at anywhere. Of course, Andalusia is the most visited region by wildlife observers.





Dupont’s lark
Trumpeter finch
Rufous-tailed scrub robin
Black wheatear
Black-eared wheatear





West. Olivaceous Warbler
Mediterranean short-toed lark
Glossy ibis
Little swift
Common bulbul
Outstanding invertebrates and insects
Apteromantis aptera
Monarch butterfly
Stone-grasshoppers
Kirby’s dropwing
Iberian spoonwing
“Big 5” Common Mediterranean birds

European bee-eater

Glossy ibis

Purple swamp-hen

Lesser kestrel

Iberian Magpie
Birdwatching in the Mediterranean region offers a diverse avifauna and stunning landscapes. Some common species are among the most attractive for their shape, colouration and behaviours. Andalusia is no exception: the Iberian magpie is endemic from Spain and Portugal and common in Doñana and Sierra Morena. Beginner’s checklist of birds of Andalusia.
“Big 5” Common Mediterranean orchids

Yellow bee-orchid

Mirror orchid

Sawfly orchid

Narrow-lipped Serapias

Orchis homme-nu
Orchids in Andalusia can be best spotted in Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de las Nieves, mountains with bedrock of limestone and milder climate. Bee orchids such as Yellow, Mirror and Sawfly bee orchids are especially abundant in meadows and small grassy patches. Check our illustrated guide of Andalusian wild orchids to discover the 10 species within the genus Ophrys.
“Big 5” Raptors of Southern Europe

Spanish imperial eagle

Bonelli’s eagle

Bearded vulture

Cinereous vulture

Black-shouldered kite
Not only Spain harbours among the highest densities of birds of prey in Europe, its mountains and mediterranean forests hosts populations of rare and threatened species. Spanish imperial eagle is definitively a Big 5, on the brink extinction in the 80′, this iconic raptor is nowadays recovering in Sierra Morena. Cinereous and Bearded vultures are thriving in Iberia like in no other territory.
“Big 5” Amphibians endemic to Spain

Pygmy marbled newt

Long-snouted salamander

Betic midwife toad

Iberian parsley frog

Iberian painted frog
The Iberian Peninsula is highly isolated by the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean sea. As a consequence, in terrestrial groups with limited mobility such as the amphibians, a high rate of endemicity can be observed. Nearly all Andalusian amphibians are restcited to Spain and Portugal, a few species with a narrow distribution such as the Penibetic salamander and the Betic midwife toad (habitat).
“Big 5” Southern species of mammals

Iberian lynx

Spanish ibex

Egyptian mongoose

Eurasian otter

Cabrera’s vole
The fauna of southern Spain typically presents abundant populations of large herbivores and diverse medium-size carnivores. The Iberian lynx is the “Big 5” mammal without a doubt. Otter and the Egyptian mongoose also are attractive species which can bee seen with a bit of luck. No many European regions present such interest to the wildlife observer.
“Big 5” Doñana waterfowl and waterbirds

White-headed duck

Ferruginous duck

Marbled teal

Squacco heron

Red-knobbed coot
“Big 5” Reptiles in Andalusia

Common chameleon

Iberian worm lizard

Common wall gecko

Spanish algyroides

Lataste’s viper
It is no exaggeration to state that Spain has the highest diversity of reptiles in Europe. Cold blooded animals are favoured by the Mediterranean climate and its geographical position originates endemics such as Spanish algyroides and Iberian Worm Lizard. Identification is generally straightforward, b
“Big 5” Rare Andalusian orchids

Atlantic ophrys

Green butterfly-orchid

Cazorla orchid

Sulfurous orchid

Gennaria
Among the sixty or so orchids present in Andalusia (2/3 of the Spanish inventory), a few species are extremelly rare and restricted to habitats of little extent: borders of mountain streams, wet grasslands, temperate woodlands. Green butterfly-orchid, Gennaria and Cazorla orchids are rarities of special beauty and difficult to locate in the field.
“Big 5” Marine fauna of the Strait of Gibraltar

Killer whale

Sperm whale

Balearic shearwater

Loggerhead sea turtle

Blue flyingfish
For wildlife observers, some parts of the Andalusian coast are more attractive: the Gibraltar Strait, Doñana beaches, Punta de Calaburras, Punta Entinas or Cabo de Gata. Marine birds, cetacean, sea turtles and some fish like tuna, flying-fish or moonfish are visible without diving, with telescopes from the coast line. 100% of Balearic shearwaters cross the Strait twice a year, alternating their breeding in the Mediterranean with wintering in the NW Atlantic.
“Big 5” Iberian steppe birds

Great bustard

Little bustard

Pin-tailed sandgrouse
In Europe, the most threatened birds, as a group, are the farmland/steppes specialists, which habitat suffers heavily from the industrialization of agriculture. The largest populations of steppic birds are still located in Spain with its immense extents of plains and wheat fields. Bustards, sandgrouses, rollers and other farmland birds are every year more scattered and rare, missing real conservation programs for their recovery.
“Big 5” Rare birds in Europe

Dupont’s lark

Trumpeter finch

Rufous-tailed scrub robin
About sixty species of regular and non vagrant birds present in Andalusia are extremely rare at the European scale. Either they are endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and can only be seen in this territory ; Either Spanish populations are the most important ones in the continent by far ; Either they are African species making their way throrought Andalusia. For this reason, Spain is considered a paradise for birdwatchers with many targets to look at anywhere. Of course, Andalusia is the most visited region by wildlife observers.

Black wheatear

Black-eared wheatear

West. Olivaceous Warbler

Mediterranean short-toed lark

Glossy ibis

Little swift
