23-3-2016 MARJAL DEL MORO, SAGUNTO - EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH (MALE) (Carduelis carduelis)

The Goldfinch is a colourful finch with a bright red face and yellow wing patch. It's a very sociable bird, often breeding in loose groups. It has a delightful twittering song and call. Their fine beaks allow them to extract otherwise inaccessible seeds from thistles and teasels. Increasingly, they are visiting bird tables and feeders. In winter, many UK Goldfinches migrate as far south as Spain.

The European goldfinch is illegally trafficked and can be found in countries worldwide, including the United States.

The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay.

The breeding male has a red face with black markings around the eyes, and a black-and-white head. The back and flanks are buff or chestnut brown. The black wings have a broad yellow bar. The tail is black and the rump is white. Males and females are very similar, but females have a slightly smaller red area on the face.

The goldfinch is often depicted in Italian Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child.

They attach their nests to tree twigs using spider silk.

Males and females look similar, but males have slightly larger red face masks that extend to their eyes.

They are frequent visitors to backyard feeders, especially those containing niger seeds.

23-3-2016 MARJAL DEL MORO, SAGUNTO - RED CRESTED POCHARD (MALE) (Netta rufina)

The red-crested pochard (Netta rufina ) is a large diving duck. The scientific name is derived from Greek Netta "duck", and Latin rufina, "golden-red" (from rufus, "ruddy"). Its breeding habitat is lowland marshes and lakes in southern Europe and it extends from the steppe and semi-desert areas on the Black Sea to Central Asia and Mongolia, wintering in the Indian Subcontinent and Africa. It is somewhat migratory, and northern birds winter further south into north Africa.

The adult male is unmistakable. It has a rounded orange head, red bill and black breast. The flanks are white, the back brown, and the tail black. The female is mainly a pale brown, with a darker back and crown and a whitish face. Eclipse males are like females but with red bills. They are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks, such as common pochards. They feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They eat aquatic plants, and typically upend for food more than most diving ducks.

23-3-2016 MARJAL DEL MORO, SAGUNTO - RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY (Vanessa atalanta)

Vanessa atalanta, the red admiral or, previously, the red admirable, is a well-characterized, medium-sized butterfly with black wings, red bands, and white spots. It has a wingspan of about 2 inches (5 cm). It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The red admiral is widely distributed across temperate regions of North Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. It resides in warmer areas, but migrates north in spring and sometimes again in autumn. Typically found in moist woodlands, the red admiral caterpillar's primary host plant is the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica); it can also be found on the false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). The adult butterfly drinks from flowering plants like Buddleia and overripe fruit. Red admirals are territorial; females will only mate with males that hold territory. Males with superior flight abilities are more likely to successfully court females. It is known as an unusually calm butterfly, often allowing observation at a very close distance before flying away, also landing on and using humans as perches.

23-3-2016 MARJAL DEL MORO, SAGUNTO - NORTHERN SHOVELER (MALE) (Spatula clypeata)

The Northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata) is a widespread species of duck unmistakable in the northern hemisphere due to its large spatulate bill. In Britain, it is known simply as the shoveler. One part of its scientific name Spatula is the Latin for a "spoon" or "spatula"; the other part is derived from the Latin clypeata and can be translated as "shield-bearing".

During the breeding season, the male of this species has an iridescent dark green head, white breast, and chestnut belly and flanks. In flight, pale blue forewing feathers are revealed, separated from the green speculum by a white border. In early fall the male will have a white crescent on each side of the face. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the male resembles the female. The female is a drab mottled brown like other dabblers, with plumage much like a female mallard, but easily distinguished by the long broad bill, which is gray-tinged with orange on the cutting edge and lower mandible. The female's forewing is gray.

Northern shovelers breed in wide areas across Eurasia, western North America, and the Great Lakes region of the United States. They are strongly migratory and winter in southern Europe, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, the Caribbean, northern South America, the Malay Archipelago, Japan, and other areas. In North America, they winter south of a line from Washington to Idaho, from New Mexico east to Kentucky, and along the Eastern Seaboard as far north as Massachusetts. Northern shovelers are birds of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes with some emergent vegetation. Preferred feeding areas include lakes, estuaries, coastal shorelines, salt marshes, flooded fields, and agricultural ponds.

Northern shovelers are social ducks that live in small flocks and coexist peacefully with many other species. They feed during the day by dabbling for plant food, often by swinging their bill from side to side and using the bill to strain food from the water. Their wide-flat bill is equipped with well-developed lamellae; these are small, comb-like structures on the edge of the bill that act like sieves, allowing the birds to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface. This adaptation gives them an advantage over other puddle ducks, with which they do not have to compete for food resources during most of the year. Thus, mud-bottomed marshes rich in invertebrate life are their habitat of choice. During the midday heat, the birds usually rest on land near the water. Northern shovelers are fairly quiet and communicate with each other only in certain situations; males have a low clunking call, whereas females have a light Mallard-like quack.

23-3-2016 MARJAL DEL MORO, SAGUNTO - MALLARD (FEMALE) (Anas platyrhynchos)

The mallard or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.  Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes.

23-3-2016 MARJAL DEL MORO, SAGUNTO - GREATER FLAMINGO (Phoenicopterus roseus)

These famous pink birds can be found in warm, watery regions on many continents. They favor environments like estuaries and saline or alkaline lakes. Considering their appearance, flamingos are surprisingly fluid swimmers, but really thrive on the extensive mud flats where they breed and feed.

Greater flamingos are likely to be the only tall, pink bird in any given locale. They also have long, lean, curved necks and black-tipped bills with a distinctive downward bend.

Their bent bills allow them to feed on small organisms—plankton, tiny fish, fly larvae, and the like. In muddy flats or shallow water, they use their long legs and webbed feet to stir up the bottom. They then bury their bills, or even their entire heads, and suck up both mud and water to access the tasty morsels within. A flamingo's beak has a filterlike structure to remove food from the water before the liquid is expelled.

Shrimplike crustaceans are responsible for the flamingo's pink color. The birds pale in captivity unless their diet is supplemented.

Greater flamingos live and feed in groups called flocks or colonies. They find safety in numbers, which helps to protect individual birds from predators while their heads are down in the mud. Greater flamingos also breed while gathered in groups. Once mating is complete, a pair takes turns incubating their single egg. Young flamingos are born gray and white and do not turn pink for two years. In years when wetlands and pools are dry and food scarce, flamingoes may not breed.

The Greater Flamingo occurs in West Africa throughout the Mediterranean to the Southwest and South Asia, and throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Iran, Kazakhstan and the Middle East.

Greater flamingos are one of the world’s most iconic avian species and raising awareness of this unique species is important. Learn about greater flamingo habitat, diet, and breeding, and potential threats facing these beautiful birds.

Greater flamingos are the largest of the six flamingo species and the most widespread. Classified as “Least Concern” (LC) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, they occur in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and southern Europe. Despite this classification, like all common species, they have little protection from development encroaching on their habitat. Their populations are being monitored, and conservation sites have been identified should the species begin to decline. Programs are underway in Europe to raise public awareness, protect breeding and feeding wetlands, and warden against disturbance.

Standing 110 – 150cm (43in – 59 in) tall and weighing 2 – 4 kg (4.4 – 8.8 lb), they are often seen feeding among smaller lesser flamingos in their African range. They are much larger, with the greatest height for lesser flamingos being 90cm. Greater flamingo plumage is pale pink with whitish-yellow eyes, and the bill is narrow and pink, with a distinct black tip. In contrast, lesser flamingos have a very dark deep bill and red eyes. Both species have red legs and black flight feathers, which are largely hidden if the wings are folded, and the wings have deeper salmon coloured feathers that are most obvious in flight. Greater flamingos have a wingspan of 1.4 and 1.7 metres and fly with outstretched necks and legs extended behind. Chicks are born with grey plumage and take two to three years to develop adult plumage.

Like all flamingo species, the greater flamingo lives and feeds on highly alkaline soda lakes, coastal lagoons, and mudflats. Gathering in flocks that may vary from a dozen birds to thousands, the birds move in unison when threatened as this behaviour helps to protect them from predators, especially when their heads are submerged while feeding. Birds in cooler areas will migrate to warmer areas in winter. Threats to their survival include contamination of their habitat and water sources by bacteria and toxins from industrial runoff and disturbance of their nesting sites.

All flamingos are filter feeders, sucking water through their bills to trap algae, shrimp, small crustaceans, molluscs, and tiny fish. Wading in shallow water, greater flamingos use their feet to stir up the mud containing potential food. Their bill, containing thousands of rigid microscopic plates known as lamellae, is used upside down to filter the water stirred up by their feet. Their diet is rich in alpha and beta carotenoid pigments, which, when digested, are deposited into the skin and feathers resulting in pink colouration. Birds with deficient diets will lose their pink plumage, skin and beak colour, and birds feeding chicks will often be paler in colour.

23-3-2016 MARJAL DEL MORO, SAGUNTO - EURASIAN GREAT CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Great cormorants are monogamous, with pairs sometimes reuniting in subsequent years. The male chooses the nest site, displaying to attract the female by waving his wings up and down and flashing his white rump patch. He will also swing his head from side to side while holding his tail erect and calling loudly. The female responds by swinging her head slightly and “purring”. This species breeds at any time, depending on food resources. Breeding takes place in colonies of as many as 2,000 pairs, although colonies of a smaller size are typical. Colonies are often located close to other species, like darters, herons, and spoonbills. The parents build their nest with reeds, sticks, and seaweeds on a cliff, in a tree, or in a bush, according to the region. Often a nest is reused. 2 to 6 eggs are laid, with an average of 3-4. The parents share the incubation for 27 to 31 days. The altricial chicks hatch at intervals and fledge at about 50 days old. They remain with their parents for 50 or more days, relying on them for food. The young start to breed between 2 and 4 years old, typically when 3 years old.

Great cormorants have large populations and are widespread, although surveys are not complete across their range. Being an important fish competitor, in the past, they were almost extinct in Europe. However, in recent years increases have been observed, thanks to intensive protection. But in some countries, expanding conflicts with fish farms and fisheries lead to new persecution. Another threat is that hatchlings may be eaten by raptors before fledging.

The IUCN Red List reports that the global population of Great cormorants is about 1,400,000-2,100,000 individuals. The European population is estimated at 401,000-512,000 pairs, which equates to 803,000-1,020,000 mature individuals. Overall, currently, Great cormorants are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are increasing.

2-2-2015 JALON, ALICANTE - EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rubecula)

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small insectivorous passerine bird. The term robin is also applied to some birds in other families with red or orange breasts. These include the American robin (Turdus migratorius ), a thrush, and the Australasian robins of the family Petroicidae.

The male and female European robins are similar in coloration, with an orange breast and face lined with grey, brown upperparts, and a whitish belly. The bill and eyes are black. Juveniles are spotted brown and white in coloration, with patches of orange gradually appearing.

European robins occur in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria, and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the Central Group of the Azores and Madeira. Irish and British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters. European robins prefer spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with their preference for parks and gardens in Ireland and Great Britain. These may also be found in grasslands, shrubby vegetation, hedgerows with some tall trees, orchards, and farmlands. 

28-11-2014 PEGO MARJAL, ALICANTE - EUROPEAN STONECHAT (Saxicola rubicola)

30-10-2014 FORNA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rubecula)

20-3-2016 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

Population size

135-221 Mlnlnn

Life Span

12 years

Weight

25

goz

g oz 

Length

16-19

cminch

cm inch 

The White wagtail is a slender bird with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. There are a number of other subspecies, some of which may have arisen because of partial geographical isolation, such as the resident British and Irish form, the pied wagtail M. a. yarrellii, which now also breeds in adjacent areas of the neighbouring European mainland. The Pied wagtail exchanges the grey colour of the nominate form with black (or very dark grey in females), but is otherwise identical in its behaviour. Other subspecies, the validity of some of which is questionable, differ in the colour of the wings, back, and head, or other features. Some races show sexual dimorphism during the breeding season. As many as six subspecies may be present in the wintering ground in India or Southeast Asia and here they can be difficult to distinguish.

20-3-2016 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SARDINIAN WARBLER (MALE) (Sylvia melanocephala)

The Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala ) is a common and widespread typical warbler from the Mediterranean region. Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back, whitish underparts, black head, white throat and red eyes. Plumages are somewhat variable even in the same locality, with the intensity of a reddish hue on upper- and/or underside that varies from absent to (in some subspecies) pronounced. The female is mainly brown above and buff below, with a grey head. The Sardinian warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is very characteristic of the Mediterranean areas where this bird breeds.

It breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and just into Asia in Turkey and the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This small passerine bird, unlike most "warblers", is not particularly migratory, but some birds winter in north Africa, and it occurs as a vagrant well away from the breeding range, as far as Great Britain.

This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-6 eggs are laid. Like most "warblers", it is insectivorous, but will also take berries and other soft fruit.

Male Sardinian warblers have a strongly contrasting plumage: a black head and upper face, white throat, light grey back and wings, and a paler greyish-white belly. Its tail is dark, edged with white, and it has brownish legs. The eye is reddish-brown, surrounded by a pinkish-orange eye ring.

20-3-2016 MONTE CORONA - EURASIAN BLACKCAP (FEMALE) (Sylvia atricapilla)

The Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) is a common and widespread warbler that breeds in much of Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. Its rich and varied song has led to the blackcap being described as the "mock nightingale" and it has been featured in literature, films, and music.

The Eurasian blackcap is mainly grey in color with distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has olive-grey upperparts, other than a paler grey nape and a neat black cap on the head. The underparts are light grey, becoming silvery white on the chin, throat, and upper breast. The tail is dark grey, with an olive tint to the outer edge of each feather. The bill and long legs are grey, and the iris is reddish brown. The female resembles the male but has a reddish-brown cap and a slightly browner tone to the grey of the upperparts. Juveniles are similar to the female, but their upperparts have a slight rufous tinge, and the breast and flanks have a more olive tone; young males have darker brown cap than their female counterparts.

Eurasian blackcaps breed in much of Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. They are partial migrants; birds from the colder areas of their range winter in northwestern Europe, around the Mediterranean, and in tropical Africa. Some German birds have adapted to spending the winter in gardens in Great Britain and Ireland. Eurasian blackcaps breed in mature deciduous woodlands, with good scrub cover below the trees, and may also be found in parks, large gardens, and overgrown hedges. The preferred winter habitat around the Mediterranean is scrub and olive orchards, while in Africa they occur in cultivated land, acacia scrub, mangroves, and forest.

Eurasian blackcaps are very active birds. They are usually found singly but may form loose groups during migration. They feed by the day mainly picking prey off foliage and twigs, but may occasionally hover, flycatch or feed on the ground. Blackcaps eat a wide range of small fruit and squeeze out any seeds on a branch before consuming the pulp. They defend good winter food sources, and at garden feeding stations they don't hesitate to repel competitors as large as starlings and blackbirds. Eurasian blackcaps are known for their beautiful loud song. The males' song is a rich musical warbling, often ending in a loud high-pitched crescendo, which is given in bursts of up to 30 seconds. In some geographically isolated areas, such as islands, peninsulas, and valleys in the Alps, males sing a simpler fluting song. The main call of Eurasian blackcaps is a hard 'tac-tac', like stones knocking together, and other vocalizations include a squeaking sweet alarm, and a low-pitched trill. Blackcaps may sometimes mimic the song of other birds, especially preferring to copy the garden warbler and the common nightingale.

19-3-2016 GANDIA, VALENCIA - COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus collybita)

The Common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) is a widespread leaf warbler found throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic. It has a number of subspecies, some of which are now treated as full species. The female of this species is responsible for building a nest and assumes most of the responsibility for brooding and feeding the chicks, whilst the male has little involvement in nesting, but defends his territory against rivals, and attacks potential predators.

The Common chiffchaff is greenish-brown above and off-white below. It has dark legs, a fine dark bill, and a short primary projection (extension of the flight feathers beyond the folded wing). As the plumage wears, it gets duller and browner, and the yellow on the flanks tends to be lost. The newly fledged juvenile is browner above than the adult, with yellow-white underparts, but molts about 10 weeks after acquiring its first plumage. After molting, both the adult and the juvenile have brighter and greener upper parts and a paler supercilium (also known as an "eyebrow).

19-3-2016 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - GREAT TIT (Parus major)

The Great tit (Parus major) is a widespread and common songbird throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, south to parts of North Africa. It has adapted well to human changes in the environment and is a common and familiar bird in urban parks and gardens. It is also an important study species in ornithology.

Population size

433-703 Mlnlnn

Life Span

3 years

Length

12.5-14

cminch

cm inch 

The Great tit has a distinctive appearance that makes it easy to recognize. The nominate race has a bluish-black crown, black neck, throat, bib, and head, and white cheeks and ear coverts. The breast is bright lemon-yellow and there is a broad black mid-line stripe running from the bib to the vent. There is a dull white spot on the neck turning to greenish yellow on the upper nape. The rest of the nape and back are green-tinged with olive. The wing-coverts are green, and the rest of the wing is bluish-grey with a white wing bar. The tail is bluish-grey with white outer tips. The plumage of the female is similar to that of the male except that the colors are overall duller.

19-3-2016 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - SARDINIAN WARBLER (MALE) (Sylvia melanocephala)

Slender warbler with long tail, short wings and pointed bill. Restless and alert with frequently raised crown feathers and dark eye framed in red. Male with black head, white throat, greyish upperparts and off-white underparts. Female less striking, with grey head grey-brown upperparts, distinct buff flanks and paler belly. Both sexes with white sides and corners to tail. Rarely sits exposed, and usually betrays itself by it's frequently used scolding call. Often just glimpsed when it dives into a bush, spreading it's tail and showing the white markings.

Scolding call a machinegun-like, short and harsh rattle. Usually consisting of 2-5 notes with some variation in timbre and delivery. Song a stream of varied, short notes, constantly interspersed with variations of the scolding call. Phrases 2-5 sec. long. Easily confused with several other sylvias, especially in the eastern part of the Mediterranean. Rattling sound (in both song and call) differs from most other congeners by being considerably harder and more "smacking". Dartford Warbler most similar, but usually betrays itself by it's characteristic and frequently used contact call (also interspersed when singing).

The Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala ) is a common and widespread typical warbler from the Mediterranean region. Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back, whitish underparts, black head, white throat and red eyes. Plumages are somewhat variable even in the same locality, with the intensity of a reddish hue on upper- and/or underside that varies from absent to (in some subspecies) pronounced. The female is mainly brown above and buff below, with a grey head. The Sardinian warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is very characteristic of the Mediterranean areas where this bird breeds.

It breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and just into Asia in Turkey and the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This small passerine bird, unlike most "warblers", is not particularly migratory, but some birds winter in north Africa, and it occurs as a vagrant well away from the breeding range, as far as Great Britain.

This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-6 eggs are laid. Like most "warblers", it is insectivorous, but will also take berries and other soft fruit.

Compact, robust, and big-headed warbler. Males are striking with a black hood contrasting with whitish throat, gray back, and red eyering. Females duller with a gray hood, white throat, and buff body. Common in many typical Mediterranean habitats including tall bushes, open woodlands, gardens, coastal scrub, and plantations; also in oases, acacia woodlands, and scrubby desert in non-breeding range. Usually first detected by its song, a fast, angry-sounding rattling "ctret-tret-tret-tret-tret" or "tetwtweer-tik-tik-tik" with whispering in between. The call is a dry "tseck."

19-3-2016 MONTE CORONA - SARDINIAN WARBLER (FEMALE) (Sylvia melanocephala)

The Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala ) is a common and widespread typical warbler from the Mediterranean region. Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back, whitish underparts, black head, white throat and red eyes. Plumages are somewhat variable even in the same locality, with the intensity of a reddish hue on upper- and/or underside that varies from absent to (in some subspecies) pronounced. The female is mainly brown above and buff below, with a grey head. The Sardinian warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is very characteristic of the Mediterranean areas where this bird breeds.

It breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and just into Asia in Turkey and the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This small passerine bird, unlike most "warblers", is not particularly migratory, but some birds winter in north Africa, and it occurs as a vagrant well away from the breeding range, as far as Great Britain.

This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-6 eggs are laid. Like most "warblers", it is insectivorous, but will also take berries and other soft fruit.

Male Sardinian warblers have a strongly contrasting plumage: a black head and upper face, white throat, light grey back and wings, and a paler greyish-white belly. Its tail is dark, edged with white, and it has brownish legs. The eye is reddish-brown, surrounded by a pinkish-orange eye ring.

19-3-2016 GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN HOOPOE (Upupa epops)

Like the cuckoo, the hoopoe's name is onomatopoeic, as it is named after its soft, far-carrying song poo-poo-poo.

Hoopoes are largely silent outside the breeding season, but the male will utter his monotonous but attractive song for long periods in the spring and summer, often taking part in song duels with neighbours.

Though migrants hoopoes are reported in Britain every year, it is rare for pairs to nest here.

Hoopoes like warm temperatures, so are most numerous around the Mediterranean, but climate change may well see their breeding range move north.

Spain has by far the biggest European population, but it is also common in Portugal, southern France, Italy, the Balkans and Greece.

Hoopoes thrive best in areas of low-intensity farming with minimum use of pesticides.

The diet is almost exclusively animals, with large insects, their larvae and pupae, most important.

Hoopoes are particularly enthusiastic foragers of animal droppings and dung heaps, searching for beetles. They use their long, decurved beak to probe the ground.

They like to forage on bare ground or where grass is closely cropped. In England, migrants have a reputation for favouring vicarage lawns.

When feeding, hoopoes can often be closely approached as they take little notice of humans. When disturbed, they will take flight, invariably erecting their crest when they land.

Holes in trees, banks or stonewalls provide the favoured nest sites, but they will use suitable nest boxes.

Like those of most hole-nesting birds, the hoopoe's eggs are pale and unmarked, while incubation is undertaken exclusively the by the female.

Nest sanitation is not a hoopoe strength: the adults fail to remove any of their ofsprings' droppings, so the nest soon becomes fouled and smelly.

Experienced human nest finders can locate an occupied hoopoe’s nest by following their noses.

Hoopoes are partially migratory. Most birds in the north of their range go south for the winter, as do many southern breeding birds, but a few remain on the breeding grounds all year round.

No other European bird can be confused with the hoopoe, but it does have a very similar cousin in Africa.

Hoopoes are widespread in India, and have been recorded on Mt Everest at 26,000ft.

The male and female have almost identical plumage, but the female tends to be slightly duller than her mate.

Juvenile hoopoes, fresh from the nest, look much like the female.

Many superstitions surround the hoopoe, which is thought to be the favourite and confidant of King Solomon.

Hearing a singing hoopoe before wine pressing is meant to foretell a good vintage.

19-3-2016 GANDIA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH (Carduelis carduelis)

The European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a small passerine bird that is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay. The goldfinch is often depicted in Italian Renaissance paintings of the Madonna and Child.

Males and females of this species are very similar, with a red face, black and white head, warm brown upper parts, white underparts with buff flanks and breast patches, and black and yellow wings. Males can often be distinguished by a larger, darker red mask that extends just behind the eye. The shoulder feathers are black, whereas they are brown on the females. In females, the red face does not extend past the eye. The ivory-colored bill is long and pointed, and the tail is forked. Goldfinches in breeding condition have a white bill, with a greyish or blackish mark at the tip for the rest of the year. Juveniles have a plain head and a greyer back but are unmistakable due to the yellow wing stripe. Adults molt after the breeding season and at this time appear less colorful until the tips of the newly grown feathers wear away.

19-3-2016 GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN BLACKBIRD (MALE) (Turdus merula)

The Common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does not lead to confusion with a similar-looking local species. This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song.

The adult male has glossy black plumage, blackish-brown legs, a yellow eye ring, and an orange-yellow bill. The bill darkens somewhat in winter. The adult female is sooty-brown with a dull yellowish-brownish bill, a brownish-white throat, and some weak mottling on the breast. The juvenile is similar to the female but has pale spots on the upperparts, and the very young juvenile also has a speckled breast. Young birds vary in the shade of brown, with darker birds presumably males. The first-year male resembles the adult male but has a dark bill and weaker eye ring, and its folded wing is brown, rather than black like the body plumage.