Region covered by this guide
This guidebook covers the autonomous region of Extremadura in the southwestern part of Spain. Extremadura consists of two provinces – Cáceres in the north and Badajóz in the south. Both feature in this guide. All main nature reserves, such as Monfragüe, Llanos de Cáceres, Sierra de las Villuercas, Jerte, Mérida. Cornalvo, Sierra de San Pedro and La Serena are covered in the book.
The Crossbill Guide is a thorough and practical guide for naturalists and nature lovers. It offers background information and detailed routes and site descriptions, plus tips on finding and watching all kinds of wildlife. Each route offers detailed descriptions of where and how to find wildlife and wildflowers. It shows you the characteristics of the landscape and geology. The book offers a mix of (mostly easy) walking routes and car itineraries with stops and short walks.
Check the following reviews of the Crossbill Guide Extremadura:
Some key sites described in this book
- Monfragüe National Park
- Llanos de Cáceres
- Mérida
- Trujillo
- Sierra de las Villuercas
- Sierra de Gata
- Las Hurdes
- La Vera
- Sierra de San Pedro
- La Serena
Why visit Extremadura?
Extremadura is one of the best destinations for birdwatching in Spain and, in fact, the whole of Europe. In particular, raptors such as vultures, eagles and kites are very numerous, with Monfragüe National Park as one of the key areas. In the surrounding dehesas and steppe there are birds like bustards and sandgrouse, azure-winged magpies and bee-eaters. Visitors to Spain with an interest in birds should not miss a visit to Extremadura.
Just as attractive is the wild landscape with rough sierras, vast grasslands and dehesas: a unique landscape of extensive open oak woodland and pasture. The dehesa is one of Europe’s most distinctive cultural landscapes. At first sight it seems more akin to an African savannah than to any other European landscape. Yet it supports exceptional numbers of birds, butterflies and wildflowers. Extremadura’s landscape is wild and open, but also has a very attractive face, with flower-lined streams and a profusion of wildflowers in the dehesas.
Look for more information and images on our Wildlife Site Page on Extremadura.
Some key species you may find with this book
- Black Vulture
- Griffon Vulture
- Spanish Imperial Eagle
- Bonelli’s Eagle
- Great Bustard
- Little Bustard
- Black-bellied Sandgrouse
- White-rumped Swift
- European Bee-eater
- Common Crane
- Iberian Lynx
- Ocellated Lizard
- Sharp-ribbed Newt
- Two-tailed Pasha
- many orchid species
About the author
Dirk Hilbers (NL, 1976), set up the Crossbill Guides Foundation and travels Europe to research the guidebooks. Extremadura is a special place for him as he lived and worked there for a year between high school and university. This is the 4th guide on which he has worked. As a biologist, when not in the field, Dirk Hilbers is a free-lance writer and lecturer in the field of nature education and environmental ethics.
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