Principality of Andorra

Tree Sparrow Passer montanus ©Andy Holt Website
Birding Andorra

Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Principat d’Andorra), also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. Once isolated, it is currently a prosperous country mainly because of tourism and its status as a tax haven. The people of Andorra are currently listed as having the second highest human life expectancy in the world, at an average of 82.67 years at birth (2008 est). Andorra is the sixth smallest nation in Europe, after Malta, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, and the Vatican City.

Due to its location in the eastern Pyrenees mountain range, Andorra consists predominantly of rugged mountains of an average height of 1,996 metres (6,549 ft) with the highest being the Coma Pedrosa at 2,946 metres (9,665 ft). These are dissected by three narrow valleys in a Y shape that combine into one as the main stream, the Valira river, leaves the country for Spain (at Andorra’s lowest point of 870 m/2,854 ft). Andorra’s surface area is 468 square kilometres (181 sq mi).Andorra’s climate is similar to that of its neighbours’ temperate climates, but its higher altitude means there is, on average, more snow in winter and it is slightly cooler in summer.Phytogeographically, Andorra belongs to the Atlantic European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Andorra belongs to the ecoregion of Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests.

Contributors
Number of Species
  • Number of bird species: 161

    As at July 2018
Checklist
  • iGoTerra Checklist

    iGoTerra Checklist
    Fatbirder Associate iGoTerra offers the most comprehensive and up to date birds lists on the web
Useful Reading

  • Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Andorra

    | Edited by Members of ADN | Associacio per a la Defensa de la Natura | 2002 | Paperback | 355 pages, Illustrations, distribution maps | ISBN: 9789992014332 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Birds of Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands

    | (Including North Catalonia, the Western Strip and Andorra) | By Joan Estrada, Francesc Jutglar, Toni Llobet François, Martí Rodríguez-Franch & Ilian Velikov | Lynx Edicions | 2018 | Paperback | 294 pages, 1033 colour illustrations, 323 colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9788416728077 Buy this book from NHBS.com
  • Where to Watch Birds in Catalonia

    | (Including Barcelona, Costa Brava, Ebro Delta, Andorra and Pyrenees) | By J Del Hoyo & J. Sargatal | Lynx Edicions | 1989 | Paperback | ISBN: 9788487334009 Buy this book from NHBS.com
Organisations
  • Andorra Sostenible

    Website
    Campaign for a sustainable Andorra
  • Associacio per a la Defensa de la Natura

    Website
    Apartado de Correus Espanyols No 96, Andorra La Vella +376 84 3248 and@andorra.adL`Associaci
Trip Reports
  • 2011 [07 July] - Bob Shiret

    Report
    …There were no trip reports to Andorra found for the summer, I did purchase “A Bird watching Guide to The Pyrenees” by Jacquie Crozier which although only three pages were devoted to Andorra did give an idea of what wildlife might be expected…
  • 2015 [05 May] - Jeff Hopkins - Catalunya, Andorra & Mallorca

    PDF Report
    At the end of May, I visited Spain and Andorra for what started out as a sightseeing trip, but ended upbeing a mostly birding trip. My original intent was to visit Barcelona for the first time and also to go toAndorra, mainly for the sake of adding another country to my list of places visited. But as I planned thetrip, and researched the available birds of Spain, I found that I included more time for birding and lesstime for sightseeing.
Other Links
  • List of birds of Andorra

    Website
    This is a list of the bird species recorded in Andorra. The avifauna of Andorra includes a total of 161 species, of which 1 have been introduced by humans, and 9 are rare or accidental.

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