Current view: Text account
Site description (2002 baseline):
Site location and context
Steppic agricultural land of wheat-fields and dry pasture, with scattered evergreen oak
Quercus woodland. Land-uses include cultivation and livestock-grazing. There is scattered human habitation. This site has two different areas, area of Vila Fernando and area of veiros, that are separated 10 km In the previous international IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones 1989), this site was called Elvas Plains (former site PT028).
Important for breeding birds of steppic habitats, specially for population of
Otis tarda that uses the two areas, Vila Fernando and Veiros. Significant proportion (1%) of national population breeding at site:
Circus pygargus (8-10 pairs).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Nesting birds are disturbed by increasing road-traffic in the region, intensification/expansion of agriculture and afforestation.Also the increase of cattle causes a loss of ornitologic value, specially for steppic species.
National None
International None
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Vila Fernando (Portugal). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/vila-fernando-iba-portugal on 23/11/2024.
