Water Birds in Roquetas de Mar
Families
Larus audouinii
Although it is not one of the large gulls, it is between the medium-sized and these. The bird is whitish in appearance, with a very faint light-grey back. Its legs are dark olive green or grey, its bill is red with a black band near the end and a yellow tip.
Limosa lapponica
Slightly smaller in size than the black-tailed godwit, it differs from the latter by its slightly shorter and clearly up-curved bill and equally shorter legs. In flight it is unmistakable because the wing pattern in which the white stripe visible in the black-tailed godwit is not visible, the rump is off white and extends to […]
Ciconia nigra
Smaller than the White Stork, it has a more streamlined appearance and is characterized by its dark plumage. The head, neck, back and wings are a lustrous black with violet and green metallic flashes.
Chlidonias niger
This small summer “tern” is strikingly dark in summer, with black plumage covering its breast, neck and head, and its back and the upper side of its wings are plain grey. The legs and bill are dark. In winter, it has a different appearance, the black is replaced by a uniform flattened plumage and the […]
Nycticorax nyxticorax
It is a medium-sized heron, easily identifiable by its stocky appearance, robust black bill and its grey plumage, which on the top of the head and back is black, the face contrasts by its almost white in colour. The legs are yellow except during the mating season when they take a raspberry hue. Adults have […]
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
This medium-sized gull is easily identifiable, in summer, by the chocolate-coloured hood that does not cover its nape. Its legs and bill are red, in the case of the bill it may appear black. It is white and has a grey back and at rest the wing feathers give it a black touch. The juveniles’ […]
Podiceps nigricollis
It is the medium-sized Grebe seen in Roquetas de Mar, slenderer than the Little Grebe, clearly differentiated in its silhouette by its slimmer and apparently longer neck. It can be distinguished by its forehead, which is also straighter, as well as its long, thin, upturned beak, if we observe it carefully, we will be struck […]
Limosa limosa
A large, tall wader with long dark legs and a long, straight bill that is pink at the base and black at the tip. In summer or with moulting plumage the male’s breast, face and neck has a brick reddish colouration and that becomes a striped in light grey on the belly. In winter it […]
Himantopus himantopus
It is an unmistakable wader. Large, characterised by its long, red legs and long neck. Its beak is also long, pointed and black. The male’s back is black while the female’s is dark brown, contrasting with the white of the rest of the body. During the mating season, the male has a black hood that […]
Bubulcus ibis
This heron very identifiable by its white plumage, dark legs and yellow bill, in the mating season it acquires striking yellow-orange feathers on its head, on the nape, back, and the legs also acquire this colour during the summer. It is a medium to small size and its short robust neck gives it a stubby […]
Glareola pratincola
In flight, its long, pointed wings and forked tail are reminiscent of a tern or a large swallow, but it differs from the former in that its legs are longer and its bill shorter. When perched, a brownish colouration can be observed on its back, wings, head and neck, on the breast it tends to […]
Tringa nebularia
Large, with greenish legs and long, slightly up-curved bill. In flight a long clear wedge can be seen at the base of the back from the tail, showing a diffuse transverse barring.