Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve breed on adjacent farmland. Little bustard ("Tetrax tetrax") occurs all year but is more numerous in winter. Raptors which may be seen over the fields include black-winged kite ("Elanus caeruleus"), short-toed eagle ("Circaetus gallicus") and booted eagle ("Aquila pennatus") Nearby patches of woodland hold short-toed treecreeper ("Certhia brachydactyla"), European nightjar ("Caprimulgus europaeus"), red-necked nightjar ("Caprimulgus ruficollis"), Iberian magpie ("Cyanopica cooki") and many passerines. During the Spring and Autumn many species stopover on the Tagus during their migration these include curlew sandpiper ("Calidris ferruginea") in large numbers with many other shorebirds in smaller numbers, Common redshank and Balck-tailed Godwits reach their
Suchindram Theroor Birds Sanctuary trees and other bushes have formed an island at the centre, which gives refuge and is a resting place for birds. Suchindram is noted for the wide variety of migratory waterbirds that winter there, including: near threatened painted stork and spot-billed pelicans. Also seen here are cattle egrets, great cormorants, darters, purple swamphen, and bronze-winged jacanas. Resident raptors include pied kingfisher, brahminy kite and marsh harrier. Other water birds are dabchick, grey heron, garganey, purple heron, cinnamon bittern, open bill stork, cotton pygmy goose, whiskered tern and little tern, black-winged stilt, greenshank, little ringed plover and the common sandpiper In