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Cypriot Delights: Part I

10,000 Birds

First recorded breeding on the island in 2013, this dove is now both widespread and common. Cyprus Wheatears are the easiest to find of the three endemic birds that occur on Cyprus Black Francolins once bred in Portugal, Spain and Italy, all countries from which this handsome little game bird has long been lost.

Cyprus 225
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The true “Mediterranean” Gull

10,000 Birds

Not only is it common and coastal, its global range is also largely restricted to the Mediterranean, with a few colonies also found along the western Black Sea shores, the lower Danube river, and into the Atlantic along the coast of Spain to the French Bretagne. So there you have it: conservative taxonomy leads to unfortunate common names.

Europe 127
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Andalucia’s City-Slicker Falcons

10,000 Birds

In Europe, Lesser Kestrels are birds of the Mediterranean zone, nesting mainly in Spain and Portugal, southern France, Sardinia, the Balkans and parts of Greece. However, in Southern Spain a small number of birds are resident. This isn’t a new development linked to global warming, but was first noted 80 years ago.

Falcons 205