EURASIAN STONE CURLEW Burhinus oedicnemus Ssp B. o. insularum Tindaya, Fuerteventura, The Canary Islands, Spain

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World-wide, there are nine species of Stone Curlew (also known as Thick-knee or Dikkop). They are found in both tropical and temperate regions. On the Iberian Peninsula, the Eurasian Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) is sedentary but in the rest of Europe it is mainly a summer resident which winters in North Africa. The endemic subspecies Burhinus oedicnemus insularum occurs on the Canary Islands and its cryptic coloration help it blend in very well with the semi desert type habitat on Fuerteventura. 

SPECTACLED WARBLER (Male) Sylvia conspicillata Ssp S. c. orbitalis Tindaya, Fuerteventura, The Canary Islands, Spain

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The Spectacled Warbler occurs mainly in the Western Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and Cyprus. The endemic subspecies Sylvia conspicillata orbitalis is resident on most of the scattered group of islands in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, known as the Macaronesia Islands. Within this group, it does not occur on the Azores but is commonly found on the Canary Islands. Because of the arid semi desert type habitat on Fuerteventura Island it has a very local distribution. This species along with the Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala leucogastra) are the only warblers breeding on Fuerteventura. Like most Sylvia warblers it is skulking by nature and can be very un-obliging when it comes to having its photograph taken.