Animals

The Núcleo Interpretativo de Vida Selvagem opened on 31 August 2013 in Abadim. The municipal presentation explains its connection with the fauna and flora of Serra da Cabreira and with raising awareness of the forest. Consult the place profile to prepare your visit.

The building has a history too: the municipal presentation places the centre in a small annex previously used by the Social Services. Its new role brought learning about animals and plants together with an appreciation of the forest and local customs.

It is a starting point for asking questions about the landscape: how are scrub, trees and animals connected? The following stories let you continue exploring at home. Learning about a species or habitat does not guarantee a sighting during a visit.

Many earthworms eat plant remains or carry them through the tunnels they dig. A fallen leaf can therefore continue its journey beneath the surface.

By transforming organic matter and changing where they live, these animals act as ecosystem engineers. This is a general role, not an identification of species present in the municipality.

They do not all feed in the same place. FAO’s overview distinguishes worms that use debris near the surface from those feeding in deeper layers. Tunnels vary too: mainly vertical or horizontal, long-lasting or temporary shelters against unfavourable conditions.

Material passes through the digestive tract and returns to the soil as casts that bring together particles, organic matter and microorganisms. The work is therefore more than digging a tunnel: it involves transport and transformation. The tunnels support aeration, drainage and root penetration. Activity on the scale of a small animal can change the space available for water, air and other living things.

These differences explain why we should not imagine all earthworms as copies of one species. The story describes general roles and ways of life; it cannot count populations or measure a plot’s fertility just from the presence of one animal.

Bats’ needs change throughout the year. The ICNB guide explains that many species use different roosts: their resting place need not always be the same. In maternity colonies, females and young gather during a stage that ends when the young become independent.

Hibernation meets another challenge: saving energy in winter. Body temperature and the organism’s activity decrease. These are general biological explanations, not a calendar of roost occupation in Cabeceiras or a description of every species.

For observation, Morcegos.pt suggests dusk, while some light remains, and recommends avoiding shining lights at the animals. We can watch their flight from a safe public space, without entering roosts or trying to touch bats.

Ecovore’s photograph shows Buteo buteo perched among branches in a record dated 1 July 2025. Comparing the published location with CAOP2025 places it in the parish of Refojos de Basto. The image lets us observe a perched bird; it does not show a hunt.

Also known in Portuguese as águia-d’asa-redonda, this bird of prey can vary greatly in the amount of white and brown in its plumage. The University of Évora describes a species resident in mainland Portugal, joined by wintering birds from northern Europe. Colour alone does not settle every identification.

The BTO describes a diet that makes use of available prey: rabbits and small mammals, but also birds, amphibians, large insects and earthworms. Searching for food can bring the buzzard down to the ground. Compare it with Montagu’s harrier: two birds of prey can share some foods without having the same way of life.