Wild Spain

The Iberian peninsula is probably the richest area for wildlife in Europe, holding the greatest number of endemic forms and most breeding bird species. Spain,here including the Balearics and Canary Islands, holds the lion’s share of Iberian habitats, ranging from the Pyrenees to the Coto Doñana wetlands, and pine and cork oak forests to semi-deserts.

With a largely Mediterranean climate and a highly developed tourist infrastructure, it is on most wildlife aficionados’ ‘must-visit’ lists, and certainly on those of European birders. Consequently, Spain’s natural history is well served by existing generalist books and specialist field guides, and new books have to be fairly unique to find their niche.

Written by experienced British naturalist and tour guide Teresa Farino, and profusely illustrated with Carlos Sánchez’s lavish photography, this book is a fantastically detailed introduction to the Iberian flora and fauna, which also holds plenty for those who have visited the region before.

Though superficially a coffee-table tome, the book is detailed enough for the more knowledgeable visitor, but remains readable and instructive to the general reader. Production values are high, with dramatic and intriguing photographs, and the writing is fluid and engaging throughout, though a few of the images, for example the Little Bittern on page 59, appear over-saturated.

There is a detailed introduction to Spain’s unique climate and habitats, identifying the main biodiversity hot-spots. Each major group of organisms is thoroughly described, with strong emphasis on endemic forms. Birds are well covered, and recent splits such as Iberian Azure-winged Magpie are included, while almost all recognised endemic subspecies are also mentioned. However, a strange and glaring omission, given the inclusion of two subspecies of Capercaillie, is the endemic sharpei form of Green Woodpecker. The country’s recent promotion of environmental preservation though public-private partnership is explained well in a final chapter.

However, the book is not an identification guide, but an illustration of the broad sweep of Spanish natural history, and in this context it serves its purpose brilliantly. It is a great reference when preparing for a Spanish holiday, and certainly a radical improvement on the then-eye-opening Time-Life-style tomes of my youth. I expect this book will be a great inspiration when discovered in a local or school library, or when daydreaming about holiday plans.

Tech spec

• Wild Spain: the Animals, Plants and Landscapes by Teresa Farino (New Holland Publishers, London, 2009).

• 176 pages, with more than 230 photographs.

• ISBN 781847731265. Hbk, £29.99.

Available from Birdwatch bookshop

First published in Birdwatch  201:52 (March 2009)