Confirmed the nesting of 35,000 pairs of water birds in 132 wetlands of Andalusia

The last censuses carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Land Planning during 2016 to know the status of water bird populations in Andalusia wetlands have confirmed the nesting of more than 35,000 breeding pairs from 54 different species in a total Of 132 enclaves. This number of nesting pairs is an interim estimate, which will be increased when the entire breeding population is completed. It should be noted that most of the Andalusian wetlands are temporary Mediterranean wetlands in which their hydrological cycle is conditioned each year by precipitation, which ultimately determine the number of species and breeding stock of water birds.

Throughout this point of view, this hydrological year has been characterized by the scarcity of rainfall in winter and abundant in May, coupled with the fact that the two previous ones were not very rainy, have determined that temporary wetlands (temporary lagoons and river marshes) have presented low levels of Water and an almost null capacity for the reproduction of aquatic birds. As a consequence, coastal wetlands and those that maintain their water level by human activities (aquaculture, salines...) are the ones that have hosted most of the breeding stock.

As in the previous years, the Doñana Natural Area is the one with the largest number of breeding birds, with more than 7,000 pairs of 27 different species. Marismas del Odiel (Huelva) with 4,884 pairs of 25 species and Bahía de Cádiz followed, with 4,626 pairs of 20 species. However, the greatest diversity has been found in the marshes of Trebujena and Sanlúcar, in the province of Cadiz, where they have raised 30 different species with a total of 2,825 couples counted.

Among the wetlands that received a greater quantity and diversity of threatened birds are the Doñana Natural Area, with 6 species and a total of 63 pairs (29% of threatened birds), Trebujena and Sanlúcar Marshes, with 4 species And 30 pairs (14%) and the Olivillos cut, with 35 pairs of 3 species (16%).

According to wildlife monitoring work carried out by counseling, 218 threatened bird pairs have been counted in Andalusia, in particular 1 of common bird bittern, 27 of brownish teal, 11 of brown moray, 7 of common fumarel, 94 of garcilla Cangrejera, 58 of malvasía cabeciblanca, 3 of brown walnut and 17 of osprey.

According to this, one of the species that has seen the increasing of their populations with respect to previous years is the teal pardilla, with 27 pairs, located in 8 wetlands, mainly in aquaculture farms of the Guadalquivir marshes; While rainfall deficits in autumn and winter have negatively affected the reproduction of the Morocco, although it has managed to maintain a small population of 11 pairs.

Regarding the osprey, the monitoring carried out in collaboration with the Migres Foundation also confirms the good state of the breeding population of this species that has increased its population (17 breeding pairs).

As a consequence of the low water levels in the temporal wetlands, the colonial species associated to these spaces have shown a very inferior reproductive effect, such as the imperial heron (146 pairs), the morito (2,778 Pairs), the spatula (642 pairs) or the hammer (567 pairs). Other species more associated with artificial wetlands or feeding outside of them have maintained their breeding population. For example, the peccaries (1,874 couples), the picovian gull (769 pairs), the common herd (1,755 pairs) or the heron gull (6,507 pairs).

As it is expected this year flamenco has not nested in the lagoon of Fuente de Piedra, where reproduction is determined by rainfall. This species was successfully nested in the salt marshes of the Odiel Marshes (Huelva, where they raised 3,300 pairs that carried out 1,712 chickens.

Andalusia has the natural heritage of the richest and best preserved coastal and inland wetlands in Spain and the European Union, housing 17% of all Spanish wetlands, which account for 56% of the total extension of Areas. The importance of these humid areas is not only due to their ecological values, but also because of their biodiversity, but also because they bring direct benefits to the daily lives of citizens, contributing to the maintenance of economic activities such as shellfish, Tourism or crops, among others.

The existence in Andalusia of many species of threatened birds and its ornithological richness make it one of the best places in Europe to practice nature tourism, linked to bird watching. In this line, the Ministry of Environment and Land Planning is carrying out numerous actions to improve the habitats of these species and to promote the conservation of these species, in addition to generating employment and consolidating tourism.