European Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis rufula)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Cecropis ("Athenian woman") rufula ("rufous")

                                            Adult Red-rumped Swallow (subspecies C. r. rufula) at Patones, Spain - June 2015

Featured Subspecies: Cecropis daurica rufula

Weight: 24g  /  Length: 16-18cm  /  Wingspan: 33cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern  

The Red-rumped swallow is largest hirundines found in Europe, being longer than Barn Swallows.  They are however a bit more limited in habitat and smaller in range - it is less colonial than Barn Swallows and seems to prefer rock faces to buildings, and has a differing nest construction.  Although known as the Red-rumped swallow, this name is a bit misleading - it's colouring is more orange than red and the face is more noticeably coloured than the rump.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirunidinidae
Genus: Cecropis
Subspecies: C. d. daurica, C. d. japonica, C. d. nipalensis, C. d. erythropygia, C. d. rufula, C. d. domicella, C. d. domicella, C. d. kumboensis, C. d. emini, C. d. melanocrissus

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Golondrina dáurica ("Daurian Swallow")

Locally common Summer migrant.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Several seen at Patones and Toledo
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Several seen at El Pardo  and near the entrance to Monfrague

ITALY - Italian - Rondine rossiccia ("Reddish swallow")

A Summer visitor

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP - A few seen at Capo Murro di Porco 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)

OTHER NAMES: Griffon Vulture 

Latin Etymology: Gyps ("vulture") fulvus ("tawny or brown")

Five Eurasian Griffon Vultures (subspecies G. f. fulvus) at Monfrague National Park, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Gyps fulvus fulvus

Weight: 6.5-10.5kg  /  Length: 93-122cm  /  Wingspan: 280cm

ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Eurasian Griffon is a massive typical vulture with a massive 2.8m wingspan - bigger even than the largest eagles in Europe, yet not the biggest vulture by a good margin.  It has a vast range - spreading from Spain to the Himalayas but it's range is patchy due to appropriate habitat and food sources.  It suffered a bit in the EU due to certain legislation preventing leaving dead animals out in the open as had traditionally been done, but it has subsequently been amended to make allowances.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Gyps
Subspecies: G. g. fulvus, G. f. fulvescens

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Buitre común ("Common Vulture")

Widespread and locally common resident.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Common on farmland North of Madrid and around Patones and two above Toledo 
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Abundant in El Pardo and Monfrague National Park 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

OTHER NAMES: Night Heron

Latin Etymology: Nycticorax ("night raven") nycticorax ("night raven")

Adult Black-crowned Night Heron (subspecies N. n. nycticorax) at Kyoto, Japan - July 2013

Featured Subspecies: Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax
Weight: 800g  /  Length: 64cm  /  Wingspan: 112cm
NO UK STATUS  / IUCN Red List Least Concern

The Black-Crowned Night Heron is a medium sized heron with a huge international range, spreading down the entire length of the Americas, and across Eurasia from Iberia to Japan, and from the Nile to South Africa making it one of the most widely distributed species on the planet.  Despite all this, it isn't found in the UK except as a vagrant except for a few feral colonies.  I saw this species in good numbers during my Kyoto trip - this one was showing very well along the Kamo River, and I saw a colony nesting on the edge of Osaka Zoo from the train.  In Europe I saw this species once - a brown juvenile flying along the river beneath Toledo.

Related Species:
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Nycticorax
Subspecies: N. n. nycticorax, N. n. hoactli, N. n. obscurus, N. n. falklandicus

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer: ខ្វែក 

A locally common resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several at Prek Toal

JAPAN - Japanese - ゴイサギ  /  Goi sagi  ("Bittern Heron")

Locally common resident.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: Common along the river in Kyoto, a colony seen from the train in Osaka 

MALAYSIA - Malay - Pucung Kuak ("Croak Heron")
Fairly common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Several seen in flyover around Kuala Lumpur

SPAIN - Spanish - Pucung Kuak ("Croak Heron")
Fairly common resident.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: A single juvenile seen at Toledo
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: A single adult seen at Laguna Navaseca

UNITED STATES 
Resident on most coastal areas, breeds inland at lower elevations
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Berkeley

Further Notes: Birdforum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Falco ("falcon") naumanni (after Johann Friedrich Naumann)

Two adult male Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) in Castille-La-Mancha, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: N/A

Weight: 90-172g  /  Length: 29-32cm  /  Wingspan: 58-72cm

ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Lesser Kestrel is the other kestrel of Europe, and in many ways its a very different sort of bird despite the similar appearances.  Visually the females of both species are almost identical, but in the males there is a distinct lack of markings over the same base colours than differentiates the two, as well as blue-grey on the wings. Unusually for European species, the Lesser Kestrel is a communal falcon, and is also migratory, although the ones in Seville are at least partially resident.

Related Species:
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Cernícalo primilla "Little Cousin Kestrel"

Widespread Summer migrant to most of the country, though resident in a few locations in the South.

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: Several seen around central Seville 
 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: A bird seen on farmland near Madrid
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen at various locations including Laguna del Longar and from the road in locations in Castille La Mancha

Further Notes:  BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Common Swift (Apus apus)

OTHER NAMES: Swift, Screamer, Devil-bird, Screech Martin

Latin Etymology: Apus ("swift") apus ("swift")

Adult Common Swift (subspecies A. a. apus) at Geddington, Northants - July 2012

Featured Subspecies: Apus apus apus
Weight: 35-56g  /  Length: 16-17cm  /  Wingspan: 38-40cm

UK AMBER STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The swift is a widespread and common Summer visitor to the UK - it is larger than the unrelated swallows and martins and can be distinguished by having no easily visible white on it and it's long scythe blade shaped wings. The trick with this species is that it's very hard to photograph - the fundamental problem being that it is a species which it's a species which rarely willingly lands to the point where they sleep on the wing and furthermore is one of the fastest birds in the UK. In the end I have had to settle with manually focusing on somewhere where they are feeding and taking sequential photo's until a legible one turns up - quite possibly the most difficult "common" bird to photograph.

Related Species:

Order: Apodiformes

Family: Apodidae

Genus: Apus
Subspecies: A. a. apus, A. a. pekinensis

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common Summer migrant breeder (87,000 pairs)

 - Seen at a large number of sites, including but not limited to Geddington, Kettering. Rutland Water and Rainham Marshes.

ITALY - Italian - Rondone

An abundant Summer migrant.

SICILY 2018 TRIP -  Very common throughout.

SPAIN - Spanish - Vencejo común ("Common Swift")

Abundant Summer breeding migrant

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Abundant over Madrid and Toledo.

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Common in Madrid and Monfrague National Park.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Redlist, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Guadarrama Wall Lizard (Podarcis guadarramae)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Podarcis (?) guadarrama ("Spanish")

Adult Guadarrama Wall Lizard (Podarcis guadarramae) at Toledo, Spain - June 2015

Featured Subspecies - Podarcis guadarramae guadarramae
Weight: 3.7g  /  Length: 15-20cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A fairly common resident of Central Spain, it is found in a variety of habitats, including in Cities in fairly open places where they can bask, including rocks, stone plazas, walls and even manhole covers.  It is very variable in colouration and patterning across its range, which meant that identifying this species was a tricky, there are other species in the area with similar appearances.  This particular lizard was living on the rocky steps of a small plaza next to a church in Toledo - scurrying under the slabs whenever it felt threatened.  Formerly considered part of the Spanish Wall Lizard complex, more recent studies have split many of these species.

Related Species:
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Podarcis
SUBSPECIES: P. g. guadarramae, P. g. lusitanicus

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Lagartija Ibérica ("Wall Lizard")

Common to locally abundant resident associated with Granite outcrops.

 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: A number seen in Madrid and Toledo
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Several seen in at El Pardo

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .