Trabancos (river) Castile and León (with more than 200 mating pairs). It is also the winter season nesting ground of more than 1,500 red kites ("Milvus milvus"). There are also numerous birds of prey; the most abundant are Montagu's harriers ("Circus pygargus", 50 mating pairs) and lesser kestrels ("Falco naumanni"; almost 150 mating pairs), but there are also hawks, goshawks, falcons, owls, and others. The region is also host to numerous gamebirds, including the red-legged partridge ("Alectoris rufa"). Despite their importance, the population of little bustard ("Tetrax tetrax") in the region appear to be diminishing. Although not all the species protected in
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