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| Aire
and Candeeiros |
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| Aire
and Candeeiros |
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Typical Mediterranean landscape,
the Estremenho Limestone Chain, between the regions
of the Costa de Prata, Montanhas and Planícies,
is the home of the Natural Park of Serras d’Aire
and Candeeiros, one of the most important nesting
places of the red billed jackdaw
Text provided by the Portuguese
Tourist Office (with minimal corrections)
The
Natural Park of Serras d’Aire and Candeeiros
occupies about two thirds of the Estremenho Limestone
Chain, forming a sea of carbonated hills, characterized
by a typically Mediterranean landscape. It is extraordinarily
dry and rocky and constitutes the most extensive
and diversified limestone peak in Portugal.
The
limestone geomorphology, generally monotonous and
on a large scale, is extremely varied in detail
here and makes it possible to clearly differentiate
between the Estremenho Limestone Chain and the neighbouring
regions. It can be said that the mountain range
is made up of three distinct zones: the Serra d’Aire,
the Santo António Plateau in the centre and
the Candeeiros Mountain to the west. Overall, the
vegetation is scarce, except in some lower areas,
where greenery can be found in the middle of a rocky
desert. The
olive trees and shrubs are the dominant flora in
these fields of stone. Here there is also a variety
of fauna, and, among the birds of prey and other
animals the most important is the red billed jackdaw.
One of its main nesting areas in Portugal is located
here, although its numbers have dropped severely
over the past few years. It builds its nests mainly
in gullies where the birds can benefit from a micro-climate
that is favourable to their incubation and where
they are protected from all types of intruders,
except man.
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