An audio guide to birdsong in Malaga province

138 species of bird sing in the province and four decades of recordings document it

24/10/2025 Actualizado a las 14:39h.

Through an open window, in a park, in the middle of nature or by the sea. Beyond the noise of traffic, conversations or aeroplanes, a soundtrack plays on a loop: birdsong. But deciphering which species each sound belongs to is a difficult task for those who are not ornithologists. Since 2005, the website xeno-canto has been compiling bird recordings from all over the world and offers, in addition to audio files, data on the location of the sound, the name of the species, the genus it belongs to... A complete collection of one million records thanks to the generous contributions from 11,000 users all over the world.

In the province of Malaga, the website locates 654 bird recordings captured over the last 40 years (from 1985 to 2025). This is the map of Malaga sung by its birds:

The Serranía de Ronda has the largest number of contributions in xeno-song, where sound files of grasshoppers, crickets, bats, terrestrial mammals and frogs. In the case of birds captured in the province, 138 different species are represented. These are the five that sing the most in Malaga:

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Sardinian Warbler

With 25 recordings, it is the most melodious bird in Malaga. It is common in the Mediterranean landscape and its numbers are growing.

Common nightingale

A classic bird song, it has 19 records on the Malaga map. Its unmistakable song is powerful and constant.

Common blackbird

A bird that is widespread not only in the wild on the peninsula, but also within cities. On the map, it is present in 18 locations.

Corn bunting

With its tireless, clear song, it is usually heard more in spring and in areas where its main food source, grain, is abundant. In Malaga, it has 15 recorded sounds.

Red crossbill

One of the rarest birds in European avifauna, this species usually inhabits forests, preferably pine forests. Fourteen recordings attest to its presence in the province.

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The remaining species documented in xeno-canto, whose locations are within the provincial boundaries of Malaga, range from house sparrows to owls and vultures.

The beginning of autumn sees the migratory passage of millions of species bred in Europe flying to the south of the continent or to Africa for the winter season. World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on the second Saturday of May and October, making this month the ideal time to observe and learn about the different species of birds.

Metodología y fuentes:

Using the API (Application Programming Interface) of the xeno-canto.org website, all bird recordings whose geolocation is within the provincial border of Málaga have been extracted. Although this website has been operational since 2005, some records were recorded in previous years (the oldest in 1985). The illustrations of each species are from SEO BirdLife (Spanish Ornithological Society) and the animations of the five most numerous bird species in Málaga were created using generative video tools with artificial intelligence.