Madeira Archipelago offers excellent conditions to birdwatchers, not only in terms of breeding birds but also vagrants. Though there are only 43 confined breeding species, 21% are endemic species and subspecies to Madeira and 33% to Macaronesia.

In this archipelago there are 4 ZPE's, which are: the Laurel forest, the Central Mountainous Massif, Desertas Islands and Selvagens Islands and 8 IBA's, which are Ponta do Pargo, Laurel Forest, Central Mountainous Massif, Ponta de São Lourenço, Desertas Islands, Selvagens Islands, Western Porto Santo and Porto Santo islets.

In Madeira there are three endemic species, the Trocaz Pigeon Columba trocaz, the Madeira Firecrest Regulus madeirensis and the Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira and 4 species further, restricted to Macaronesia, Fea's Petrel Pterodroma feae, the Madeira Storm Petrel Oceanodroma castro, the Canary Serinus canaria and the Plain Swift Apus unicolor.

One of the most interesting features of birding in Madeira is the high number of endemic subspecies - 6 restricted to Madeira and 13 common to Macaronesia islands. For some birdwatchers the ornithological highlights are the blueish Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs madeirensis and the darker Barn Owl Tyto alba schmitzi.

However, seabirds are the major attraction for birdwatchers because there are several colonies of world importance. In Madeira archipelago one may find 8 breeding seabirds species namely the rare Pterodromas (P. feae and P. madeira) and Macaronesia species and subspecies as Macaronesian Shearwater Puffinus baroli, Madeira Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro and White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca. This last species being confined to Selvagens Islands.

Seawatching on Madeira gives you also the chance to observe some visitors like Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis, Great Skua Stercorarius skua, Wilson's Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus or Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus.


Join one of our tours and you will see not only Madeira Birds but also untouched landscapes!