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Gran Canaria

Atlantic Canary Serinus canaria ©Juan Emilio Website
Birding Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria, perhaps the most interesting island from an overall ecological point of view, does not boast any endemics of its own but it is a good place for the endemic Berthelot’s Pipit, Canary and the ever-present Canary Island Chiffchaff. Its most spectacular inhabitant is the Gran Canary Lizard, actually the largest of the 6 endemic Gallotia lizards on the islands. It is exceptionally common almost everywhere and is particularly fond of tomatoes. The endemic skink is also well worth watching out for, especially in the south of Gran Canaria where it sports a bright, electric-blue tail.

Return to the Canaries page: Canary Isles Main Page

Organisations

  • Sociedad ornitologica Canaria

    Facebook Page
    The blue finch of Gran Canaria is a bird in danger of extinction that has not recovered in the last 25 years partly due to bad management.
Trip Reports


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  • 2013 [09 September] - Eric Jan Alblas

    PDF Report
    …After receiving information about Blue Chaffinches being recently seen on Gran Canaria, I made plans for a quick visit to see this and some other endemic subspecies. Travel to the Canary Islands is usually easy to arrange and this time was no exception…

  • 2017 [11 November] - Bob Swann

    PDF Report
    Our first full day on the island started with us watching Canary Island Chiffchaffs and Sardinian Warblers in the bushes outside our apartment. Collared Doves, Hoopoe, Blackbirds, Spanish Sparrows and a pair of Tree Sparrow were feeding in the well-watered grassy area in front of the apartment complex. After visiting a market on the edge of down we walked down the banks of a (dry) canal towards the coast. The scrub held Canaries, Goldfinch, a Greenfinch, small flocks of Common Waxbills, whilst overhead we had a flock of 20+ Plain Swift.

  • 2019 [03 March] - Julian Hughes

    PDF Report
    This is a very brief report on a visit to Gran Canaria that we made in March 2019. It wasn’t a birding trip, but inevitably I did note my sightings on BirdTrack, and also made a special effort to see Gran Canarian Blue Chaffinch, which had been split from the Tenerife version since I visited that island a number of years ago.
Other Links

  • Gran Canaria Flora and Fauna

    Information
    Many of the birds found in the Canary Islands are either endemic species or subspecies, with many examples of races unique to individual Islands. This phenomenon is often found on islands where species are allowed to evolve in isolation

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