Birding in Portugal - a walk in the field

After meeting more and more steemians with an interest in bird fauna as well, decided to share some of the species we can normally see in Portugal. I remember when I started birdwatching, being amazed by the diversity of bird species we can find around us, even in an urban setting; as we start to being able to identify more and more species and are more attentive to our surroundings, we begin to notice that some species seem to be everywhere :) Although the species below can be found all around the country, these photos were taken during a stroll near Serra da Estrela, away from the big buildings.

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^{Greenfinch / Verdilhão (PT) Chloris chloris}
Greenfinches are very comon birds, easily identified by the bright green body and yellow margin of the primary feathers; in flight the yellow color on the sides of the tail base can be easily seen too. We can see a couple in the photo above, female above. Females are less colorfull than males, with greyish body and not so bright yellow on the tail and wings.

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^{Common stonechat / Cartaxo comum (PT) Saxicola torquatus, male
Common stonechat / Cartaxo comum (PT) Saxicola torquatus, female}
Stonechats are one of my favourite birds; as usual, males are more colorfull than females, and the black head with the with spot on the sides of the neck helps in the identification. One of the things I like in these birds is that they tend to perch right on top of the branches, hence being easily spotted.

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^{European goldfinch / Pintassilgo (PT) Carduelis carduelis}
Impossible to mistake this little guy with any other bird, with its red face, following with white and black colors on the rest of the head; sexes are identical. They have a black tail with white spots, which also helps in identification if they're not facing you; and they're normally found in groups.

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Hope you enjoyed it!