Trilho do Ourigo

This trail runs mostly through forests, passing through patches of native oak woodlands (with holly and lamagueira trees) and extensive areas of woodland planted in the mid-20th century. Exotic trees—both conifers (pine and cedar) and broadleaf trees (white oak and birch)—predominate in this area. Here we can find forest birds such as the goshawk, the sparrowhawk, and the woodpecker, as well as a vast diversity of birds and mammals, including the roe deer, the wolf, the genet, and the squirrel. There are also large patches of tall and low scrub, resulting from forest degradation caused by fire and logging. The scrubland areas are dominated by broom, gorse, rockrose, heather, and gorse, which are home to various species of reptiles, such as the sand lizard and the common grass snake, as well as birds of prey that feed on them, such as the booted eagle and the short-toed eagle.