La maleza
parque de fauna
SIERRA DE ALBARRACÍN
BIRDS OF PREY
Todas nuestras rapaces proceden de centros de recuperación de diversas autonomías. Por lo tanto, son animales irrecuperables que debido a distintos accidentes no pueden ser devueltos a su hábitat, ya que no podrían sobrevivir por sí mismos.
DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY
Scientific name: Buteo buteo
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Other names: common buzzard, buzzard
It is a medium-sized diurnal bird of prey (46–58 cm), with a robust build and highly variable coloration. In flight it shows relatively short, very broad wings (wingspan 110–132 cm) and a not-too-long tail, which it often spreads like a fan. Thanks to this, the bird can sustain soaring flight for long periods.
Its plumage shows many individual variations, so you can see birds ranging from very pale to quite dark. The most common adult coloration is a fairly uniform brownish tone on the upperparts and slightly lighter on the underparts, where there is a whitish breast band of varying size, like a bib. In flight, broad relatively pale areas (heavily barred) are noticeable. The wings show a dark band along the trailing edge, and the tail does as well, and it may be variably barred.
COMMON BUZZARD
Scientific name: Circaetus gallicus
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Other names: short-toed snake eagle, European snake eagle
One of the most interesting and lesser-known birds of prey found in our area. It is a strictly migratory raptor that comes to our country in the summer to breed.
A raptor of considerable size (62–69 cm). It has a large, bulky head with a short but robust beak and large yellow eyes facing forward. Its legs are short, with rather small but sturdy toes, protected from snake bites by tough, leathery scales.
In the plumage of adult birds (very light on the underparts), whitish tones dominate, variably mottled with brown. On the upperparts, however, the color shifts to brown tones, darker or lighter depending on the individual, extending over the head, neck, and chest. It has large wings (wingspan 160–175 cm) and a long tail.
Short-toed snake eagle
NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY
Barn owl
Scientific name: Tyto alba
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Tytonidae
It is the only representative of the Tytonidae family in Europe.
It is a medium-sized nocturnal bird of prey (around 35 cm), with long legs and a large head. It has striking plumage, with tawny and golden tones on the back and pure white on the underparts. On its heart-shaped face, the intensely black eyes and the prominent pale-colored beak stand out. It has long wings, with a wingspan of around 90 cm. Its flight is elegant, silent, and agile thanks to the bird’s low weight.
Little owl
Scientific name: Athene noctua
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Other names: little owl, common little owl
It is a small nocturnal bird of prey, but with partly diurnal habits.
It has a rounded shape and is about 22 cm long. It is characterized by a broad head without ear tufts. Its plumage is mainly brown and grayish, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are lighter than the upperparts, although they are also strongly speckled. The broad head is decorated with fine white spots, and the feathers around the beak and the striking white eyebrows frame large yellow eyes. The tail is short, as are the wings, which tend to be rounded, with a wingspan of about 50 cm. Its flight is fast and distinctly undulating.
