Bahía de Cadiz Natural Park - Fauna
One of Europe's most significant colonies of little terns is in the park, which is also an important breeding site for black-winged stilts, avocets and spoonbills. The park attracts many aquatic bird species in winter and is a major stopping place for migrating birds. Oystercatchers are one of the park's most characteristic bird species.
Waders are in abundance here, and include avocets, black-winged stilts, sanderlings, turnstones and Kentish plovers. In the bay itself are seabirds, such as gulls, terns, razorbills and gannets. Sandwich terns are common during migration periods and winter. Grey herons and flamingoes can also be seen here.
The bay region is rich in shellfish and fish that provide one of the economic mainstays of the area. The mud flats have many molluscs like clams and the river delta teems with sole and gilthead bream.
In the pine forest Pinar de Algaida are many species of birds, which include hoopoes, southern grey shrikes, meadow pipits, common redstarts, zitting cisticolas, crested larks, sardinian warblers, goldfinches, white wagtails, yellow wagtails, whinchats, stonechats and Cetti's warblers. Also in the woods is the endangered chameleon.
The park's freshwater lakes are popular with birds such as black-winged stilts, mallards and coots, as well as a variety of amphibians like marsh frogs, painted frogs, natterjack toads and southern toads. On the beaches are ocellated lizards and ladder snakes.
