A
G
ran Canaria belongs to the Canary Islands, one of the Macaronesia region´s Atlantic volcanic archipelagos, just to the north west of the African coast.
part from this species we can also find a good number of endemic subspecies, many times related to their own island, such as the Gran Canaria ssp for common chaffinch (ssp bakeri), African blue tit (ssp hedwigae) or robin (ssp marionae). In addition to this we can also find the biggest species of endemic lizard on the archipelago, the Gran Canaria giant lizard (Gallotia stehlini), Macaronesian endemics such as Plain swift, Canary bird or Berthelot´s pipit, whales and dolphins, butterflies, astonishing volcanic geology, beautiful landscapes and pleasantly mild warm weather conditions at the coast all year round provide the final touch to the experience of enjoying Natural History and bird watching in Gran Canaria.
T
he central mountains of the island, designated as Biosphere Reserve, offer the visitor one of the most beautiful landscapes, extremely interesting geology and a great amount of endemic flora and fauna, including the extremely scarce Gran Canaria-exclusive endemic blue chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki). In addition it is easy to spot the locally exclusive endemic ssp for African blue tit (Cyanistes teneriffae ssp hedwigae), common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs ssp bakeri), robin (Erithacus rubecula ssp marionae) and great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major ssp thanneri), Macaronesian endemics such as the plain swift (Apus unicolor) and Berthelot´s pipit (Anthus bertheloti) or the canary bird (Serinus canaria) are commonly found in this environment.
BIRD WATCHING HOTSPOT: Right at the sunny south of the island we come to Maspalomas lagoon. Just by a 400-hectare sand dunes field is the mouth of Fataga ravine. This little brackish water lagoon is a great spot to while away the hours looking for herons, night herons, waiders such as greenshank or the very scarce kentish plover, whimbrel, spanish sparrow and the introduced rose ringed and monk parakeets, waxbill... the place is definitely worth checking out.
Turismo de Gran Canaria Triana, 93 · 35002 · Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Tel: (+34) 928 219 600
mygrancanaria turismogc visitgrancanaria
www.grancanaria.com
Enjoy
Birdwatching Experience in Gran Canaria!
At the same latitude as the Sahara desert, but cooled and dampened by the trade winds, the particular set of environmental features provide a huge diversity of ecosystems all around the different islands. And if the archipelago is diverse, Gran Canaria in particular is known as the“miniature continent”, precisely because it features almost all the different ecosystems on a single island, from the coast up to almost 6,400 feet altitude. From north to south we will discover sand dunes, desert areas, spurge areas, rocky coasts, some of the highest active coastal cliffs in the world, tropical ravines, rainforests, pineforests, rugged mountains and one of the biggest collapsed volcanic calderas in the world. Wildlife has evolved in these natural conditions, isolated and adapting to all that diversity, revealing a number of unique endemic species of flora and fauna, amongst which there are six bird species that can only be found in the Canary Islands: the Canary Islands chiffchaff, the Canary Islands Chat, (present only in Fuerteventura), the Tenerife blue chaffinch (present only in Tenerife), Bolle´s pigeon, Laurel pigeon and the Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (present only in Gran Canaria). Gran Canaria is home to three of these six exclusive endemic species: the Canary Islands Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis) , the laurel pigeon (Columba junoniae) and the exclusive endemic Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki), the latter with fewer than 500 surviving individuals, making it one of the rarest birds in the world.
Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus canariensis, endemic to the Canary Islands, are very common and widespread.
LAUREL FOREST RAVINES. Lush and green forests, the perfect habitat for the Canaries endemic Laurel pigeon (Columba junoniae) , the local exclusive subspecies for common chaffinch and robin, black cap (Sylvia atricapilla ssp heineken), African blue tit, plain swift, barbary falcon (Falco pelegrinoides ssp pelegrinoides)...
Laurel Pigeon, Columba junoniae, endemic to the Canary Islands. It can be spotted in the northern ravines where laurel forests and thermophilic forests are still present.
The Canary Bird, Serinus canaria. Endemic to Macaronesia. Very wide spread on the island.
Berthelot´s Pipit. Anthus bertheloti. Endemic to Macaronesia. Relatively common and well distributed across the island.
STEPPE AREAS. Desert areas, usually close to the coast, where very interesting and elusive species can be spotted if you are patient and look in the right places. Maccaronesian endemic Berthelot´s pipit (Anthus bertheloti), stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus ssp distinctus), southern grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis ssp koenigi) or trumpeteer finch (Bucanetes githagineus ssp amantum), spectacled warbler (Sylvia conspicillata ssp orbitalis), lesser short toed lark (Calandrella rufescens ssp polatzeki) are some of the most relevant. All photos and texts by Guillermo Bernal Monrobé.
Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs ssp bakeri). Exclusive ssp for Gran Canaria. Common passerine present at thermofilic, laurel and pine forests.
African Blue Tit (Cyanistes teneriffae ssp hedwigae). Exclusive ssp for Gran Canaria. Very abundant and widespread across the island.
The Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch, Fringilla polatzeki. Exclusive endemic to Gran Canaria, with only around 450 specimens, is one of the rarest song birds in the western paleartic. Ten years ago its population was less than 200 birds, but with the effort of its conservation programme numbers are slowly but consistently growing. It differs from the Tenerife blue chaffinch in its size (F. polatzeki is slightly smaller), in colour (F. polatzeki presents a paler blue and a horizontal white band shows more clearly at the shoulder) and its, vocalizations are different. Its habitat is strictly located in the local pine forests of the central mountains of the island. Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris borealis ssp borealis). The most abundant pelagic on the archipelago. Visible from the coast if you look carefully enough close to the ocean surface in the distance. Very easy to spot if you go on a cetacean watching boat trip. Arrives on the island for breeding in March, and leaves around October. They can be heard coming back and forth to their burrows about 1-2 hours after sunset or just before sunrise if you are close to coastal cliff environments.
Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis ssp koenigi). Lociated at steppe environments.
Local exclusive endemic ssp for Robin (Erithacus rubecula ssp marionae). Gran Canaria exclusive endemic ssp. Widespread across the island. Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus ssp distinctus) for the central and western Canaries. Very elusive but present all across the steppe environments. Trumpeter Finch (Bucanetes githagineus ssp amantum). Big flocks flying low in steppe areas can be spotted as are their unique metallic trumpet-like calls. Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis). Locally known as “palmero” (as it nests in palm trees), its numbers are dwindling, but it is still present from the coast up to middle altitudes, close to anthropic areas. Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus). A critically endangered species, only present at coastal marshes or ponds. Can still be spotted at the Maspalomas “charca” pond. Gran Canaria Giant Lizard (Gallotia stehlini). Exclusively endemic to Gran Canaria, it is the biggest lizard species present on the archipelago, growing up to 80 cm long.