The Montesinho Natural Park ( pt, Parque Natural de Montesinho) is a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
located in the
municipalities of
Vinhais and
Bragança, northeastern
Portugal. Sections of the southern slopes of the
Serra da Coroa (Sierra de la Culebra) fall within the park.
It has a varied avifauna (more than 120 species of breeding birds), including the presence of 70% of terrestrial animal species that occur in Portugal, with emphasis on one of the most important
Iberian wolf populations. In 2019 a
Cantabrian brown bear was sighted. The ichthyofauna (fish) includes the
Northern straight-mouth nase, ''
Luciobarbus bocagei'' and the
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...
.
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...
dominates the landscape but there are also
limestone stains in plateau areas and
granite in the Montesinho mountain range.
Native trees include ''
Prunus avium'', ''
Ulmus minor'', ''
Corylus avellana'', ''
Malus sylvestris'', ''
Quercus pyrenaica'', among others. It is the only place in Portugal where ''
Euonymus europaeus'' can be found naturally.
The government of Portugal maintains a registry and facilitates placement of
Cão de Gado Transmontano for flock and wolf protection through its agency, Parque Natural de Montesinho.
Notes
External links
Birdwatching
Nature parks in Portugal
Nature conservation in Portugal
Geography of Bragança District
Tourist attractions in Bragança District
Natura 2000 in Portugal
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