Eagle owl Eagle bustard Great

Birdwatching . tourism: sustainable of form a of target the are These

due to the huge variety of species to be found all year round year all found be to species bird of variety huge the to due . .

of significance significance of alive and dynamic yet, above all, all, above yet, May, in cereal of fields

the year, never the same, going from the barren vines of February to the lush lush the to February of vines barren the from going same, the never year, the

landscapes of Villena Villena of landscapes change depending on the time of day or season of of season or day of time the on depending change

The The unnoticed by its visitors, a highly unique asset: its natural environment. environment. natural its asset: unique highly a visitors, its by unnoticed

Tawny owl Tawny creepers tree Short-toed However, the municipality has a jewel tucked away which often goes goes often which away tucked jewel a has municipality the However, . the raptors, nocturnal our of another or

Golden orioles Golden warblers Sub-alpine Wheatears Black Wrens small Jays , , , , , ,

Eagle owl Eagle eagle Golden visiting the town has witnessed a significant increase in recent years. recent in increase significant a witnessed has town the visiting , as well as as well as , the or majestic the notably species, of

to the past with its Medieval Fiestas, means that the number of people people of number the that means Fiestas, Medieval its with past the to forest – often found together with terrace cultivation – are home to a huge variety variety huge a to home are – cultivation terrace with together found often – forest

La Capilla La and Christians’) with the highest attendance in the world, and a return return a and world, the in attendance highest the with Christians’) and , at 1.238 m. These areas of stunning pine and oak oak and pine stunning of areas These m. 1.238 at , point, highest

festival Cristianos y Moros (‘Moors (‘Moors the footwear, children’s top-quality due to its excellent state of conservation, and where one finds the municipality’s municipality’s the finds one where and conservation, of state excellent its to due

Sierra de Salinas de Sierra Morrón Cabrera together the best dishes from the coast and hinterland, production of of production hinterland, and coast the from dishes best the together range, a place of major significance significance major of place a range, the or the ,

vineyards and wineries and vineyards Peñarrubia , along with a cuisine that brings brings that cuisine a with along , of presence , , as such peaks with Villena, in represented well are Mountains

a cultural destination of undoubted importance. Furthermore, the notable notable the Furthermore, importance. undoubted of destination cultural a

archaeological sites archaeological houses cave museums , Villena is rising as as rising is Villena , and , MOUNTAIN

Maria Santa Santiago of Churches , and the as such gems with Together

most important hoard find of prehistoric Europe, at over 3000 years old. old. years 3000 over at Europe, prehistoric of find hoard important most

Great bustard Great Sandgrouse Black-bellied . awesome the and occasionally, more

Treasure of Villena of Treasure Castle Atalaya

, the the , unparalleled the or the others

Corn buntings Corn Calandra wheatear Northern harrier Montagu’s and and , , the ,

its many tourist attractions tourist many its

, amongst amongst , to thanks province Alicante inland

Stone curlew Stone bustard Little sandgrouse Pin-tailed , , , the , the as such species

Villena is on course to become one of the main tourist destinations of of destinations tourist main the of one become to course on is Villena

fields where it’s easy to spot specimens of this small hawk alongside other alongside hawk small this of specimens spot to easy it’s where fields

uses the roofs of old buildings to rear its young, and flies over the surrounding surrounding the over flies and young, its rear to buildings old of roofs the uses

Lesser kestrel Lesser province Alicante in areas , which which , the particular in birds, watch to

the best best the Villena’s steppe lands and fields of cereal cultivation are unquestionably unquestionably are cultivation cereal of fields and lands steppe Villena’s bee-eaters wheatears Black-eared Short-toed shrikes Grey . or , ,

Great Great cisticola Zitting stilts Black-winged plover ringed Little , , , , the as

STEPPE population of waterfowl but now dry, allows us to observe various species such such species various observe to us allows dry, now but waterfowl of population

life that grows in these areas. The old Villena lagoon, once prized for its large large its for prized once lagoon, Villena old The areas. these in grows that life

assets thanks to both the bird species that live there and to the unique plant plant unique the to and there live that species bird the both to thanks

Wildlife Reserves Wildlife Micro-reserves Flora , with the main habitats being: habitats main the with , and

play host to very interesting environmental environmental interesting very to host play importance, nevertheless nevertheless importance,

LIC (Site of Community Importance or SCI), SCI), or Importance Community of (Site English), in SPAs or birds for

The areas of salt marsh, seemingly barren and with little environmental environmental little with and barren seemingly marsh, salt of areas The

ZEPA (Special Protection Areas Areas Protection (Special mechanisms: protection 4 via network, 2000

VILLENA percentage of protected land it is home to, part of the European Union’s Natura Natura Union’s European the of part to, home is it land protected of percentage

SALT MARSH MARSH SALT Evidence of the municipality of Villena’s environmental importance is the high high the is importance environmental Villena’s of municipality the of Evidence

BIRDWATCHING TOURISM TURISMO VILLENA ENG

Respect the birds and their habitat: remember that you must prioritise Plaza de Santiago, 5 the birds’ welfare above all, and be respectful of the species and the habitat 966 150 236 - 965 803 893 they live in. Do not alter their behaviour in any way, particularly in breeding [email protected] season. www.turismovillena.com

Learn about the environmental regulations in place in the areas you are visiting: before a visit, find out if the area is part of a Protected Natural FOLLOW Area (Espacio Natural Protegido in Spanish), which areas are open to public TURISMO VILLENA visits, and whether there are any areas of restricted access for which entry must be requested in advance. Respect the current regulations at all times. Turismo Villena Respect the land owners’ rights: most of the time, such birdwatching @turismovillena sites are privately owned, meaning you must stay on the paths at all times @turismovillena and be aware of the property’s fences and gates. @turismovillena Commit an important number to memory: 112. If you find an injured bird or one showing clear signs of distress, contact the emergency services Photographs: immediately on 112. They will activate the necessary protocol and will Antonio Sáez explain what to do in each case. Pau Lucio BIRDING VILLENA Yanina Maggiotto Share your sightings: Your sightings can be useful in improving the Jose J. Rico BIRDWATCHING knowledge and protection of our bird species and their habitats. Share Rafa Torralba your sightings in as much detail as possible with local birdwatching groups, conservationists, or digital apps and platforms, providing us with invaluable Oxytours technical support. information that can help to protect birds.

Remember: No photo or sighting is worth it if it disturbs or endangers the presence of our bird species. Never forget this!

Lesser kestrel BIRDING VILLENA ALCOI MAP KEY MOST REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES VILLENA La Encina MAP Station Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) Summer ELX Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Sedentary ALICANTE Casa Corredor Winery Lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) Summer Winery Castle Little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) Sedentary Los Alhorines SPA Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) Summer Tourist Info Stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) Sedentary La Capilla peak Little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius) Summer El Lagrimal cave Great bustard (Otis tarda) Occasional Pin-tailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata) Sedentary SPA (ZEPA) Black-bellied sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) Sedentary CV-656 SCI (LIC) Eagle owl (Bubo bubo) Sedentary Tawny owl (Strix alauco) Sedentary Flora micro-reserve Red-necked nightjar (Caprimulgus ruficollis) Summer Urban or built-up areas Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) Summer Green woodpecker (Picus viridis) Sedentary Calandra lark ( calandra) Sedentary Greater short-toed lark ( brachydactyla) Sedentary Winter wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) Sedentary El Morrón Northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) Summer Black-eared wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica) Summer Black wheatear (Oenanthe leucura) Sedentary Zitting cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) Sedentary Spectacled warbler (Sylvia conspicillata) Summer Short-toed treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) Sedentary Golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus) Summer A-31 Southern grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis) Sedentary Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) Sedentary Rock sparrow (Petronia petronia) Sedentary (Emberiza calandra) Sedentary

Steppe Mountain Salt marsh Cabecicos Villena VILLENA Golden eagle Las Virtudes SCI Saleros y Cabecicos Winery Tourist INFO SPA Almela Moratillas CV-81 RENFE Station Castle

Las Virtudes Miramontes

SPA SCI Peñarrubia El Castellar

AVE Station

Francisco Gómez Winery Spectacled warbler Black wheatear Little bustard

CV-813

Vinalopó river

Sierra de Salinas Winery

SPA SCI Sierra de Salinas

El Lagrimal cave

Stone curlew Pin-tailed sandgrouse Greater short-toed lark

La Capilla 1.238 m