All 2 in 3 days here: ~10%
Picos de Europa National Park
🇪🇸 Spain
Iberia, Spain 381 spp. recorded
Picos de Europa National Park is a rugged limestone mountain range in northern Iberia, rising steeply near the Atlantic coast. Deep gorges, ancient beech woods, and high meadows define this temperate forest sanctuary, separating it from standard alpine reserves through its dramatic maritime proximity and sheer sea-facing cliffs.
43.186° N 4.960° W
🦜 Nature
190 Species sighted
25,879 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 231 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Picos de Europa National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
27Jan
28Feb
33Mar
37Apr
43May
56Jun
58Jul
46Aug
35Sep
35Oct
31Nov
28Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Cangues d'Onís · Llagos de Cuadonga
-
Estación Inferior, Fuente Dé
-
Cabrales · Les Arenes
-
Cangues d'Onís · Cuadonga
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.9
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 249
🐒 Mammals 86
🦎 Reptiles 28
🐸 Amphibians 18
381 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
15 Threatened 7 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.3
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
66% 📊
Coverage (119 species at ≥5% of 381 in the inventory)
31% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (10 bird, 1 reptile, 1 mammal)
39% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
75 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
5 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
28 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.0
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Free High
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
A few Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen, unlike their Iberian Green cousins, which were only heard, but couple of Red-backed Shrike families, including young with still short tails gave us some superb views near one of our car parks, especially to Gill when she returned early on a couple of occasions for a rest!
Nice to see, but it did serve as a reminder of the species that we had missed - notably Snowfinch, Golden Eagle (these are apparently rare here), Water Pipit and Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush.
Again they advised that it was worth returning to the spot we had been in for about 1700 as Wallcreeper would come again once the cliffs in question went into shade.
On the trail to see if we were able to spot any Wallcreepers we soon began to see the first Northern Wheatear that were catching insects to feed their chicks.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Picos de Europa National Park?
381 species
Picos de Europa National Park has 381 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Griffon Vulture (about 90%), Common Wall Lizard (about 80%), Pyrenean Chamois (about 80%), Eurasian Blackbird (about 70%) and Black Redstart (about 70%). Among amphibians, the most-seen is Giant Toad (about 50%).
When is the best time to visit Picos de Europa National Park for wildlife?
March to July
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in December and January.
Can you see a Griffon Vulture in Picos de Europa National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Griffon Vulture sighting in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, based on 1,407 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March, May–September and November–December (about 90%).
Can you see a Pyrenean Chamois in Picos de Europa National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Pyrenean Chamois sighting in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, based on 150 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January, May, July and September–November (about 80%).
Can you see a Common Wall Lizard in Picos de Europa National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Common Wall Lizard sighting in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, based on 246 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, June and August (about 90%).
Where in Picos de Europa National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Cangues d'Onís · Llagos de Cuadonga
The richest sighting zone is around Cangues d'Onís · Llagos de Cuadonga, followed by Estación Inferior, Fuente Dé and Ruta del Cares, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Picos de Europa National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.1 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Picos de Europa National Park rates 3.1/5: 261st of 316 parks worldwide and 12th in Europe. 30 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
_male_(14487390465).jpg/330px-Guadarrama_Wall_Lizard_(Podarcis_guadarramae)_male_(14487390465).jpg)
