Azores Birds

Birdlife Portugal 2008 Bird of the Year

This year Birdlife Portugal chose Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina as Bird of the Year. Effort will be done this year to protect the habitat in São Miguel, Azores and some funds will be raised via the charity. A census will be done this June. If you are interested in being a volunteer for the census, please contact Birdlife Portugal.

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental conservation organisations with a focus on birds that works together on shared priorities - exchanging skills, achievements and information. BirdLife International is present in 103 countries and territories worldwide. 
Charity Registration No 1042125

Azores Flora

The archipelago of Azores belongs to the geographical region of Macaronesia due to its natural characteristics that are common to the other archipelagos of Madeira, Canary Islands and Cape Verde. The fertility of the soil is what makes Azores islands so abundant in green pastures bordered by protective colourful flowers. The thick natural vegetation is composed of 56 indigenous species, some belonging to the Laurel Forest which was once present here. Nowadays this rare forest is fighting against alien species that were introduced for lumber production, like the Japanese Cryptomeria or Mimosas, other were brought here to serve as ornamental property dividers, like Hydrangea, Azaleas and Camellias. This exotic flora species were brought to the archipelago long ago by its colonisers and are still sometimes used by farmers for hedging.

The Azores flora has some endemic species that need to be protected from the invasion of the exotics, like Marsilia azorica, Prunus azorica, Lotus azorica, Euphrasia azorica and Myosotis azorica. Though other indigenous species are more spread through the islands, they must also be conserved from some introduced plagues.

Some of the dominant indigenous species are Juniperus brevifolia, Ilex perado ssp.azorica, Laurus azorica, Frangula azorica, Viburnum tinus subcordatum, Daboecia azorica, Erica scoparia azorica, Vaccinium cylindraceum, Euphorbia stygiana, Picconia azorica, Prunus lusitanica azorica.

Birdwatching in Azores

Azores are at the most westerly limit of the Western Palearctic and relating to birds there are a few specialities like the Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina) and the Canary (Serinus canaria) for land birdwatching and some more for seawatching like Cory’s Shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea borealis), Macaronesian Shearwaters (Puffinus assimilis), Madeira Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma castro), Bulwer’s Petrels (Bulweria bulwerii), Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus cachinans atlantis) and Roseate Terns (Sterna dougalli). Though the main attraction of Azores avifauna is the North American vagrants, whose observations are growing annually, especially passerines and waterbirds.

The Azores Bullfinch is the only endemic species of this archipelago and due to its endangered habitat . the Laurel Forest - it is also a threatened species. The seeds, flower buds and fleshy fruits of the laurel forest provide food for the 200 to 300 individuals of the critically endangered and rare Azores bullfinch.

Azores Archipelago

The autonomous region of Azores has 9 inhabited islands and some islets which all together totalize 2337 square km with around 237 thousand habitants, in the North Atlantic, west of Portugal.

Azores islands are volcanic origin and there is still some volcanic activity. Due to the geographical situation and also to some physical and cultural differences, the islands of Azores form 3 groups: the Western (Santa Maria and São Miguel Islands), the Central (Graciosa, Terceira, São Jorge, Faial and Pico islands) and the Eastern group (Flores e Corvo).

Known mostly by its Nature and Whales, the Azores archipelago was rediscovered since 1427 and ended in 1452 when the islands of Flores and Corvo were populated.