Natural History Ornithology
BackNatural History Ornithology
The 1920 Gibraltar Directory includes a section on birds. Here is an extract: "Colonel Irby in his most interesting and valuable 'Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar,' enumerates no fewer than 335 species of birds as being found in those parts of Spain and Africa bordering on the Straits, and of these a large proportion actually visit the Rock. Bonelli's Eagle Nisaetus fasciatus (today Aquila fasciata), nests in the precipices to the South of the Signal Station (near today's Cable Car Station), and the Osprey, the Egyptian Vulture and the peregrine falcon, also have their eyries, but all are represented by one or two pairs only."
Unfortunately, the Second World War activity on the Rock caused the disappearance of these species as nesting birds, with the exception of the peregrine falcons which still breed here today. The osprey and the Egyptian vulture can still be seen on migration but the Bonelli's eagle is nowadays a rare sight.
Published: April 14, 2020
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