The Charca de Suárez is a

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

Motril Motril () is a town and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The main settlement is located a few kilometers inland, separated from the Port of Motril by the Guadalfeo delta. Mo ...

, Spain. It is maintained as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. Despite being small in area (13.78 ha), it is the most important wetland on the coast of the

province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropi ...

The wetland is part of the delta of the River Guadalfeo. Most of the delta has been drained, initially for agricultural use.

Ecology

The Charca attracts a number of bird species both for breeding and as a stop-off point for migratory birds. In 2025 an exhibition was mounted at the reserve to celebrate its role in the conservation of ''Fulica cristata'' (the

Red-knobbed coot The red-knobbed coot or crested coot, (''Fulica cristata''), is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is a resident breeder across much of Africa and in southernmost Spain on freshwater lakes and ponds. It builds a nest o ...

).''Un hogar para la focha moruna. Diez años de cuidados en la Charca de Suárez'' The opportunity to see this species of

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usual ...

is often mentioned as a reason for visiting the reserve. The coot is among the reserve's "top 5 species" species as currently listed at "birdingplaces": the others are the

Purple swamphen The purple swamphen has been split into the following species: * Western swamphen, ''Porphyrio porphyrio'', southwest Europe and northwest Africa * African swamphen, ''Porphyrio madagascariensis'', sub-Saharan continental Africa and Madagascar * ...

, Little bittern and the

Eurasian stone-curlew The Eurasian stone-curlew, Eurasian thick-knee, or simply stone-curlew (''Burhinus oedicnemus'') is a northern species of the Burhinidae ( stone-curlew) bird family. Taxonomy The Eurasian stone-curlew was formally described by the Swedish nat ...

Conservation and access

The reserve is open to the public on a limited basis. There are a number of bird hides. It has been proposed that the reserve be designated a

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

References

External links

* https://www.andalucia.org/es/motril-espacios-naturales-charca-suarez {{coord, 36, 43, 27, N, 3, 32, 32, W, type:landmark_region:ES, display=title Birdwatching sites in Spain Wetlands of Spain