Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

It is the main food of the Iberian imperial eagle and although it was previously very common in the Iberian Peninsula, the incidence of diseases has drastically reduced their populations. It is a rodent with long ears. It weighs no more than two kilos. They live in family groups, in burrows on the ground.

Wild boar (Sus scrofa)

They live in families and small herds, although the males are lonely. During the day it hides and at night he goes out in search of food. They feed on fruits, berries, roots, grass, but also larvas and insects.

Meloncillo (Herpetes ichneumon)

The adult specimens weigh between 2 and 3.5 kg and measure about one meter long. It is slender, with a relatively long tail, a very visible ocher color erased between the hair. It has black lock at the tip of the tail, short legs, frizzy appearance, dark fur and amber eyes.

Genet (Genetta genetta)

It resembles a cat but is longer than it, from yellowish to grayish hair, dotted with black spots on the body and on the tail it has ringed spots. The body can reach 55-60 cm in length that equals or exceeds the tail. It weighs between 1.2 and 2.5 kilos. It has a conical head that sharpens towards the snout. The large brown eyes are framed on white spots that contrast with black stripes that surround the base of the snout. 

Badger (Meles meles)

It has very short legs, but they are strong. The snout is prominent, mobile and muscular, being particularly adapted for digging and hooting, while the neck is short and wide. The fur is long and strong on the back with characteristic blends of black and white, being entirely black on the belly and legs. The head is white, with two parallels black lateral stripes.

Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

It has the size of a medium dog, although with the flatter head than it, very pointed snout and large triangular ears. The tail is long and densely covered with hair, usually with the white tip. Its fur is soft and thick, from yellow-reddish color to brown-reddish in its upper parts, and white in the lower. The front part of the legs and feet are black.

Common toad (Bufo bufo)

It has a very plump, solid and short body. The colors vary widely and range from earthy gray to reddish brown. It has dry, warty skin and orange eyes. The males measure about 8-9 cm long and are smaller than females, which reach 15 cm long. It has nocturnal and lonely habits. 

Common frog (Rana perezi)

It is the largest frog of Europe. It has a bulky appearance and can reach 25 cm long. It has a variable coloration that goes from uniform green to a gray brown spotted with black, often with a green ventral line.

Ladder snake (Elaphe scalaris)

It can measure up to 1.5m long. It has a long body and pointed snout that clearly exceeds the chin. It has a brown-yellow or light gray back with two dark lines joined by transverse bars.

Southern smooth snake (Coronella girondica)

It rarely goes beyond 70 cm in length, it has a small head and a long, slightly aggressive tail. It feeds on small insects.It’s gray-brown on the back and sides, but the ventral part is more yellow, with black spots aligned.

Ocellated Lizard (Locerta lepida)

It is the largest lizard in Europe, it reaches 60 cm long.Two thirds of its length are tail; it’s very long and thin. It looks solid and It has triangular head.It has a variable color; its back can be green or yellow or brownish reticulated or mottled. It has lanks adorned with blue spots. It always looks for the sun.

Lizard (Psammadromus algirus)

It has the tail two or three times larger than its body. Its back is brown, light and dark, with longitudinal yellow stripes. It is very fast and agile and it climbs rocks easily.

Azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) I,E

This beautiful pigeon-sized bird is easily identified by its long blue tail, azure wings and black hood. It is a gregarious bird forming noisy flocks. It is common in open woodland in the whole of Extremadura, including the area surrounding Cáceres, where it even ventures into outlying parks.

Hoopoe (Upupa epops) I,E

The Hoopoe is a strikingly patterned bird that raised its conspicuous crest at moments of danger or territorial dispute. Its usual habitat are dehesas or woodland fringes where it probes with its long beak for food in tree-trunks and the ground. In Cáceres, It is very frequent in outlying zones bordering on its natural habitat.

Pallid swift (Apus pallidus)

This paller cousin is less abundant than the Common Swift, although Cáceres boasts one of the biggests populations in Extremadura and probably in Spain. The old part of the city, with several towers and walls accesible to visitors, is perhaps one of the best places in the country to watch them in flight.

Common swift (Apus apus) I,E

The Swift is a bird that has evolved for continuous flight with long sickle-shaped wings and stunted legs. In fact it only ever lands to build its nests, incubate its clutch, and bring food to its chicks. At night it sleeps on the wing, circling very high up in the sky. In spring and summer it is very common in Cácerres, especially in the old part of the city.

Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) I,E

This is the commonest vulture, sightly smaller and paler than the Monk Vulture. It is very common around the city in the predominantly livestock-rearing farms, where these vultures seek their daily food intake, often flying over the city and its ownskirts in the process.

Monk vulture (Aegypius monachus) S,A,H

This huge dark-plumaged bird has a slightly wedge-shaped tail and the biggest wing span of any bird in Europe, two to the three meters in some individuals. The biggest breeding colonies in Europe, and perhaps in the whole world, are in Monfragüe and the Sierra de San Pedro. Both these sites, and especially the latter, are very close to Cáceres, so this vulture can often be seen soaring high above the city itself.

Blue tit (Parus caeruleus) I,E

Smaller than a sparrow, bright yellow below and blue on wings and crown. The Blue Tit is a strictly woodland bird that lives only in well-treed parks and woody areas of the outskirts, often in small parties.

Sardinian warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)

This bird sports a black head and bright red eye-ring. It lives in dense scrub and it is often difficult to see it, although it usually gives out a characteristic rattling alarm call if we get too close (teck-teck-teck). It is commonest in the hills around Cáceres.

Subalpine warbler (Sylvia cantillans)

This colourful scrub warbler has a characteristic white moustache. It lives in dense scrub and patient observing is often needed to catch a glimpse Aquí falta o sobra algo. It’s a summer visitor. It arrives in late March and returns to Africa in September. It is particularly common in the scrubby hills around the city of Cáceres.

Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

 This woodland raptor abounds in dehesa areas. Its most distinctive flight features are its rounded wings and tail and the dark/light underwing pattern. Common in the sierras and dehesas near Cáceres. It is easy to spot from the vantage points of Santuario de la Montaña and from La Sierrilla.

Booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) I,E

This small, dashing raptor is a fearless hunter. Like kites, it will boldly stray into the airspace above roads and cities if there is prey about. In Cáceres itself it is a common sight soaring over the outlying parks and open spaces in search of food. It’s a  summer visitor, it owes its name to the feathers completely covering its thrush.

Black kite (Milvus migrans) V

As its Latin name suggests, this is the migratory species of kite. It comes to Spain only in the breeding season (spring to summer). It’s very abundant in Cáceres and roundabout, where there are several big breeding colonies such as those of Valdesalor and Sierra de Fuentes.