Flora and Fauna in Minorca

In the past, the most representative vegetation on the island was oak groves, but their partial disappearance has led to the domination of pine woods and wild olive trees, the ancestor of the olive tree in genetic terms, and which has been traditionally used for wood. Due to the need to take full advantage of the water available, species with impermeable leaves and evergreens dominate over annuals. Those that we might call “domestic” species and are common throughout the Balearics are on the decline: the carob tree, the almond, the fig and the olive. There are savines close to the beaches and in the damp areas. At a second level of vegetation we can find mastichs, buckthorn, tree strawberry, heather, myrtle, heather, broom, juniper, oleander, blackberry bushes... and even closer to the ground, liliaceous plants (such as wild asparagus), arum plants (such as the unique bec de frare, “friar’s cowl”) and some curious orchids, such as the so-called yellow and blue mosques, “fly” orchids. We can also see beach lilies in dune areas, white and black stipa in deforested areas, or giant reeds in the wetter parts. The lichens cover the rocky spots and on the windswept coastal areas communities of dense and rounded spiny thicket, called socarrells (Launaea cervicornis). The animal kingdom is made up of, on land, small mammals, reptiles, insects and many birds. Among the former feature martins, ferrets, weasels, rabbits, bats, some varieties of field mice and the shy hedgehog. Among the reptiles are the Mediterranean tortoise, wall lizards and some small and non-poisonous snakes. The population with most specific weight, however, is the winged kingdom: all the biotopes that can be referred to on the island have their bird population. Moreover, as summer approaches, swallows, swifts, great black-headed gulls and bee-eaters, among others arrive from the Sahara. Among the areas of great ornithological importance is Albufera des Grau, where as well as a large sedentary population, thousands of other birds come each year to breed. Keen birdwatchers can catch sight in the water, either on the shore or between the reeds, of mallard ducks, American coots, king quails, reed-warblers, storks, grebes, egrets, sharp-tailed sandpipers, pochards and stone curlews. Dominating different spaces throughout the year are also predatory and carrion birds. The intervention of man at spots where they nested has seriously reduced the number of some of these large wingspan birds. This is the case of the osprey, the booted eagle, and even the red kite. Nevertheless, falcons, kestrels, buzzards, hawk owls, Egyptian vultures and marsh harriers are all easily identifiable, as are tawny owls and barn owls.