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Routes & Birdwatching Sites

Routes & Birdwatching Sites

Campillos lagoon complex

The Lagunas de Campillos Natural Reserve is located in the northwest of the province of Malaga, near the town of Campillos and in the depression of Antequera. It is a lagoon complex that belongs to the series of endorheic steppe lagoons located on the plateau between Benamejí (Córdoba) and the Vega Alta de Antequera, which are distributed by a relatively flat landscape, with little undulation of the land and intensely transformed by crops, where olive groves and cereal and sunflower fields dominate.

It is formed by a set of eleven lagoons: Laguna Dulce (the largest), Laguna Salada, Capacete, Camuñas, Cerero, Redonda, Lobo, Toro, La Marcela, as well as the Panza and Menaute lagoons. All are of endorheic origin, have a seasonal character and have a relatively high salinity.

Natural vegetation is scarce due to secular tillage of the land, although some native scrub bushes emerge. In the lagoons themselves, the one formed by reeds, castanets and reeds dominates, while around them there are arable and olive groves. In the Salt Lagoon, its aquatic flora stands out, including Althenia orientalis, the rough chara, the Chara galioides and the Ruppia maritima.

The fauna is represented by common lizard, Cinderella lizard and bastard snake. Associated with these ecosystems, some bird populations are detected. Thus, in the olive grove there are hoopoes and common partridge; the black-headed warbler and common shrike are present in the bush; while in the wheat fields there is partridge, quail and white washerwoman. In times of passage, daytime raptors such as the common vulture, the bee falcon or the royal kite are found.

Among mammals there are populations of weasel, fox, homemade mouse, common mole or water rat, hare and rabbit; and insectivores, such as common shrew, blind mole and common bat.

It is striking the large number of water birds, mainly anatids, that exist in the lagoons, in addition to other species such as flamingo, stork, spoon duck, whistle duck, common coot and even laughing gull. In the surrounding areas, it is possible to observe ocellated lizard in the hottest hours of the day.

Of similar characteristics are the neighboring lagoons of Fuente de Piedra and La Ratosa, which act in a complementary way together with it in the maintenance of waterbird communities.