
Anas platyrhynchus
Mallard
It is the most common wild duck in the world. It is a species with a distinctive sexual dimorphism, in which the male is very showy and the females, with their brownish plumage, very discreet. It occurs throughout Portugal and is distributed globally across all continents.
Illustration from: Paula Gaspar

Platalea leucorodia
Eurasian Spoonbill
The very peculiar bill of this bird is the origin of its common name. The spoonbill can be seen in the Alagoas in flocks of dozens of individuals, resting or feeding. This area is an important stopover for this species' wintering populations.
Illustration from: João T. Tavares

Plegadis falcinellus.
Íbis-preta
Its English name ‘glossy ibis’ alludes to the greenish sheen of its wings which, in the right light, make them sparkle in a unique way. Its long, curved bill is also very characteristic. It can form flocks of hundreds of individuals; in the Alagoas Brancas, 400 individuals have been recorded at one time.
Illustration from: João T. Tavares

Gallinago gallinago
Common Snipe
A wader with a particularly long beak, which we often see at the edges of vegetation and water. Small in size (similar to a blackbird), but easily recognisable by the streaks on its plumage and by its bill.
Illustration from: João T. Tavares

Porphyrio porphyrio
Purple Swamphen
This was one of the rarest birds in Portugal at the end of the 20th century, but fortunately the species has recovered and is now relatively easy to spot in certain areas of the Algarve, making it an icon of the region's avifauna.
Illustration from: Paula Gaspar