Water Birds in Roquetas de Mar
Families
Gallinula chloropus
Its silhouette is unmistakable, as its name suggests, when it is out of the water it resembles a hen, with its raised rump and its head bent down. It is black with white lateral tail feathers; the legs are green, and it has long toes that allow it to walk comfortably on mud. The forehead […]
Aythya ferina
It is a characteristic diving duck. In nuptial plumage the male has a brown head, black breast and rump and grey flanks and back. The female is more homogeneous, the breast and rump are reddish brown and the flanks and back are greyish, while its head is characteristic for being pointed and having an elongated […]
Tringa totanus
The salt marsh workers called it “the whistler” because it is a very noisy bird, it is the first to warn of the presence of intruders and makes loud alarm flights. Once in flight, it is easily identifiable by its rump, which becomes a whitish wedge on the back and the back edges of the […]
Charadrius hiaticula
Stubby in appearance, it can be confused with the Little Plover, from which it can be clearly distinguished in flight by the white stripe on the wings and black tips. It has a white body except for the back and upper part of the wings, which are greyish brown. The head pattern is also different […]
Actitis hypoleucos
It is the smallest of the sandpipers, with short legs and neck, its bill is not exceptionally long either, compared to its head. It is easily identified by its perching behaviour, swinging its body semi-crouched, giving the impression of being curled up. This rocking of its tail and rump is the most exaggerated of sandpipers […]
Tadorna tadorna
It is of of medium size and, in appearance, it is somewhere between that of a goose and a typical duck (between 58 and 78 cm in length). The position of its pink legs is striking, they are very centred on the body. Its general white colouration contrasts with its head and neck and back, […]
Gallinago gallinago
This medium-sized wader is striking due to its enormous bill, almost twice the length of its head, which it uses in a characteristic way when searching for food by probing the mud, making very jerky, mechanical movements. When perched, it gives the appearance of a plump bird, takes off suddenly, emitting a snapping sound and […]
Sterna hirundo
Slightly larger than the Black-headed Gull, which is a reference for identification, this gull has longer, red legs and a thicker, blunter, red bill with a black band at the end. In summer it has a black hood that covers its nape and a white eye ring makes it easily distinguishable from the black-headed gull. […]
Calidris ferruginea
Its long, down-curved bill is what differentiates it in winter plumage from the Common Sandpiper, from which it is also distinguished by being the largest Curlew Sandpiper as it is also slenderer. In summer plumage it can only be confused with the Red knot, because of its striking russet red colour, but its legs and […]
Calidris alpina
It is the model of the Calidris family to be used as a comparison in the identification of the rest. Knowledge of its plumage and morphological characteristics is particularly useful to differentiate species. The legs are usually medium-sized (compared to the Curlew Sandpiper, which has longer legs, or to the Sanderling and Great knot, which […]
Fulica atra
An unmistakable bird, plump, with a rounded head and lustrous black plumage, the bill and forehead are strikingly white.
Haematopus ostralegus
Unmistakable due to its size, it is large and stocky in appearance, with relatively short pinkish legs and a long, laterally compressed red bill. The feathers of the head, neck, upper breast, wing edges and back are black, contrasting with the white feathers on the rest of the body. In flight, the tail is also […]