Birds of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden
The Marimurtra Botanical Garden is not only a botanical landmark, but also a space of great value for wildlife, especially birds. The ornithological monitoring report carried out during 2025, prepared by the biologist and environmental consultant Pere Alzina i Bilbeny, confirms that the garden continues to be a rich, functional environment with remarkable biodiversity, despite being surrounded by an urban and humanized context.
The report, based on observations in Marimurtra and its immediate surroundings, records a total of 39 bird species, 31 of which are breeding species—one of the highest figures in recent years of monitoring. Most of these species are residents or use the garden as a breeding area, an indicator of the good habitat quality within a space of this size.
Among the most abundant species are birds typical of wooded and Mediterranean environments, such as the wood pigeon, serin, robin, blue tit, and sardinian warbler. Many of these species are insectivorous and play a key role in the garden’s natural balance, helping to control pests naturally and contributing to the overall health of plant ecosystems.
The report also focuses on the presence of exotic and invasive species, one of the main challenges for the conservation of native wildlife. During the 2025 monitoring, the red-billed firefinch was detected and the presence of the monk parakeet was confirmed—two non-native species that are expanding in humanized environments along the Catalan coast.
Another relevant finding from the 2025 monitoring is that, for the first time, two new bird species were recorded in the garden: the goldcrest and the song thrush, both detected during the winter period. These new observations expand the historical record of birds in the Marimurtra Botanical Garden and confirm that the space continues to attract species that had not previously been detected there.
Overall, the results of the 2025 ornithological monitoring show that the Marimurtra Botanical Garden is a living, dynamic, and constantly evolving ecosystem, where environmentally respectful management and habitat diversity have a direct and positive impact on wildlife. Ongoing bird monitoring thus becomes a fundamental tool for understanding the garden’s environmental health and guiding future conservation actions.
