Sierra de Guadarrama Fauna

Birds

In the Sierra de Guadarrama there are 133 species of birds inventoried with regular presence during some time of the year (in summer, in winter or permanently), depending on the specie. The representative ones are the black vulture, the Iberian imperial eagle, alpine accentor and the red-billed chough.

Mammals

There are 58 species of mammals inventoried, 6 of them being Iberian endemism (the Iberian hare, the Lusitanian pine vole, the Iberian shrew, the Iberian mole, the Iberian desman and the Cabrera’s vole). Mediterranean mountains like the Sierra de Guadarrama represent an essential area for preserving the diversity and richness of wildlife species, in general, and of mammals, in particular.

Amphibians

There is considerable diversity in the number of amphibian species present: the common salamander, the marbled newt, the introduced alpine newt, the common frog, the leggy frog, the common toad, the running toad, the common midwife toad and the San Antonio frog. The Spanish painted frog was also detected, although in fewer numbers.

Reptiles

In the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountain lizard, the greenish lizard and the rock lizard are noteworthy. The greatest richness of species is evident at intermediate altitudes, between 1,000 and 1,650 m, and diminishes at a higher or a lower altitude.

Fish

There are 17 species of fish inventoried, highlighting species such as bermejuela, Northern Iberian spined-loach and Iberian barbel. As in most Spanish rivers, numerous fish species have been introduced in these water streams. Among them, the sun perch, the goby, the carp and the crucian carp stand out.

Invertebrates

Spring and summer are the quintessential time for such a striking show, a time when insect larvae develop into adults after spending the winter under the ground, snow and ice. This process of metamorphosis, common to all insects, causes an explosion of life and triggers a race against time to produce offspring in the following years. The Apollo butterfly, the Harlequin butterfly, the dark anthill and the Elizabethan butterfly, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula are also noteworthy.

Source: www.parquenacionalsierraguadarrama.es