Thanks to this, it has a wide range of birds, and some of these are very rare endemic species. Fancy a tailor-made birding tour with the best local expert? Contact GeoTenerife, for extraordinary bird watching off the beaten track.
Hoopoe – photo Rubén Barone
The island is home to many species that will interest naturalists, ornithologists and twitchers. Besides the resident species that live here year-round there are also many migratory birds that pass through Tenerife or visit at specific times of the year.
One of the most exotic looking birds that can be seen on Tenerife is the Hoopoe (Upupa epops), with its salmon-pink plumage, black and white striped wings, very long beak and a tufted crest on its head. Here in Tenerife it lives on open plains, cultivated land and even golf courses, where it searches for its insect prey.
There are two endemic species of pigeons that only live in the evergreen laurel (“laurisilva”) forest and its surroundings.
Bolle’s Pigeon (Columba bollii) and, to a lesser extent, the White-tailed Laurel Pigeon (Columba junoniae) are limited in their range because they need this specific type of woodland for their survival.
This sort of forest was once plentiful but now there are only patches of it left in the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, together with Madeira and Azores archipelagos.
Atlantic Canary – photo Rubén Barone
Common Chaffinch – photo Rubén Barone
Fortunately, it is recovering and mostly protected by law, so the situation of this forest is much better than in the recent past (e.g. the 70s and 80s).
The Atlantic Canary (Serinus canaria) is a bird that is frequently seen and heard on Tenerife, although it doesn’t have the bright yellow colouring of the domestic UK version. It also lives in the Azores and Madeira islands.
The Plain Swift (Apus unicolor) and the Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus) live in colonies on Tenerife and nest mainly on the island’s cliffs, but they also occupy buildings and bridges for breeding. They can often be seen flying low and high in the air as they seek the flying insects they live on. The Plain Swift is endemic from Madeira and the Canary Islands.
Tenerife has several finches, including the Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) and the Trumpeter Finch(Bucanetes githagineus) –this last bird almost extinct in the island–, as well as a locally common endemic species, the Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla teydea), which only lives in the forests of Canary Pines which form a ring around the central mountains and Teide volcano.
Blue Chaffinch – Photo Rubén Barone
Great Spotted Woodpecker – photo Rubén Barone
The Canary Pine woodlands are the home not only of the Blue Chaffinch, but also of the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), the only woodpecker species living in the Canary Islands. In Tenerife it is locally common and, fortunately, its populations are growing and in good health.
Other interesting birds are the Berthelot’s Pipit (Anthus berthelotii), very common and which lives always in open places, from the coast up to the Teide volcano, just over 3,700 m above sea level (it is a Macaronesian endemic species, which is found in Madeira and Selvagens Islands also), and the African Blue Tit (Cyanistes teneriffae), different from the Blue Tit that lives in UK, as it is found only in Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands.
Of special interest also is the Canary Islands Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis), a very common species around practically all the island, very easy to see in many different habitats. This bird is endemic from the Canary Islands.
A very curious bird is the Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis), a small predatory species which use to catch lizards, insects and even birds and put them in spines or hard branches of bushes. It lives both in the lowland dry areas and the high mountain scrub around Teide volcano.
Between the most rare birds in Tenerife there are two small passerines, the Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) and the Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra), which are disappearing from many places and at present are found only in a few locations on the island. The first of them is surviving only at the west end.
Berthelot’s Pipit – photo Rubén Barone
Other interesting birds are the Berthelot’s Pipit (Anthus berthelotii), very common and which lives always in open places, from the coast up to the Teide volcano, just over 3,700 m above sea level (it is a Macaronesian endemic species, which is found in Madeira and Selvagens Islands also), and the African Blue Tit (Cyanistes teneriffae), different from the Blue Tit that lives in UK, as it is found only in Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands.
Of special interest also is the Canary Islands Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis), a very common species around practically all the island, very easy to see in many different habitats. This bird is endemic from the Canary Islands.
A very curious bird is the Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis), a small predatory species which use to catch lizards, insects and even birds and put them in spines or hard branches of bushes. It lives both in the lowland dry areas and the high mountain scrub around Teide volcano.
Between the most rare birds in Tenerife there are two small passerines, the Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) and the Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra), which are disappearing from many places and at present are found only in a few locations on the island. The first of them is surviving only at the west end.
Cory’s Shearwater – photo Rubén Barone
African Blue Tit – Photo Rubén Barone
Pelagic seabirds of the Atlantic Islands (like the Canaries, Madeira and Azores) are the target of many European birders, as these birds are rarely seen in UK or other nearby countries. Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) is abundant and very easy to find here, in Tenerife, but Bulwer’s Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), Barolo’s Shearwater (Puffinus baroli) and Madeiran Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma castro) are rarer. All these species breed in small islets, stacks and steep marine cliffs.
Raptors are among the most interesting birds of the island. One of the most impressive species is the Barbary Falcon (Falco pelegrinoides), which does not in mainland Europe and is becoming common in the Canary Islands. It lives in coastal cliffs, gorges and inland cliffs, and can be found in several places in Tenerife. Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) also live in Tenerife, but at present they are very rare and confined to the cliffs of the west end of the island, in a protected area. Much more common are Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), Buzzards (Buteo buteo) and Eurasian Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus), which are found in many localities of the island. At night is easy to see or hear the two owls that breed in Tenerife, Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and Long-eared Owl (Asio otus).
The Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius) is a wader that lives in the UK and can be also be seen in reservoirs and dams of Tenerife, mainly in the south and southwest of the island. Another similar wader, but mostly coastal, the Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), which is unfortunately on the verge of extinction in the island and the last individuals live only in a protected area of the south.
The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), with its white plumage, is a very distinctive bird that is often found hunting in rocky pools on beaches and along the shore as well as in inland where it catches small fish, frogs and other animals in reservoirs and water-tanks used for crop irrigation. The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is more common in inland reservoirs and dams, but often roosts in small islets and marine cliffs. Also, in recent years the Night Herons(Nycticorax nycticorax) is becoming common and breeds in several locations.
Lesser Yellowlegs – photo Rubén Barone
One curious-looking bird you might run into on Tenerife beaches and rocky pools is the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). This wader has a very long bill that is used for probing among sand and rocks where it finds its food, together with other shorebirds like the Sanderling (Calidris alba), the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), the Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) and other species.
On the other hand, during migration time, it is possible to find in Tenerife, in low numbers and mainly linked with Atlantic meteorological events, some waders from North America, like Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos), Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) or Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius). The same phenomenum occurs in autumn and winter with several American ducks, like Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis), Blue-winged Teal(Anas discors) and Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris).
Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis) are to be seen along the coast, on beaches and around marinas. They breed in cliffs, small islets and stacks along the coast of the island. In winter is possible to find other species of gulls, including several “rarities” like Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) or Audouin’s Gull (Larus audouinii).
There are many more types of birds that can be found in Tenerife and the bird-spotter will find plenty of enjoyment on the island.
Sanderling – photo Rubén Barone
Whimbrel – photo Rubén Barone
For further information on birds you can see in Tenerife, try these BirdForum links:
Fea’s Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel, Cory’s Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Macaronesian Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, European Storm-petrel, Madeiran Storm-petrel, Northern Gannet, Eurasian Spoonbill, Cattle Egret,Little Egret, Grey Heron, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Barbary Falcon, Barbary Partridge, Common Quail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Grey Plover, Stone-curlew, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff,Common Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Rock Dove, Bolle’s Pigeon, Laurel Pigeon, Barbary Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Monk Parakeet,Ring-necked Parakeet, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Plain Swift, Pallid Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Eurasian Skylark, Canarian Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit,Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Eurasian Robin, Eurasian Blackbird, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Blackcap, Canary Islands Chiffchaff, Canary Island Kinglet, African Blue Tit, Southern Grey Shrike, Northern Raven, Common Starling, Rock Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Chaffinch, Blue Chaffinch, European Serin, Island Canary, European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Linnet, Trumpeter Finch, Corn Bunting