Sierra De Gata Y Valle De Las Pilas Special Protection Area (SPA) for Birds

The mountain chain runs from the Sierra de Gredos through to the Sierras de la Malcata, in Portugal, and forms part of the Sistema Central mountain range. Some of the peaks tower 1500 metres above sea level, while certain valleys are barely 500 metres above sea level. Such a difference in altitude makes this a unique protected area, where oak forests, heathlands and chestnut forests enhance the landscape. You will also find farmland, cork-oak forests and plantations of pines.

The Sierra de Gata mountains and El Valle de las Pilas (Las Pilas Valley) are also home to the rare Iberian lynx, which shares its habitat with black vultures, golden eagles and Egyptian vultures, birds of prey that breed in such mountainous regions, as well as two kinds of reptiles (the Mediterranean pond terrapin and water lizards), four species of fish, eight kinds of bats and two types of invertebrates (the stag beetle and a butterfly known as the marsh fritillary).