In the mountain ranges above 700 m, the Mediterranean forest is replaced by deciduous and coniferous forests, composed mainly of Pyrenean oak or sweet chestnut. This is especially the case in northern Extremadura (Sierra de Gata, Las Hurdes, Jerte and La Vera), east of Cáceres (Villuercas) and in the south of the province of Badajoz (Sierra de Tentudía).
These deciduous forests demand rainfall and cooler summers and lie between 700 and 1500 m, providing habitat for numerous forest species such as Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Northern Goshawk, European Honey Buzzard, Iberian Green, Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Nuthatch, Garden and Western Bonelli’s Warblers, Pied Flycatcher, Common Crossbill and Citril Finch (both very rare in Extremadura), Crested and Coal Tits, Cirl Bunting, Firecrest and wintering Goldcrest and Brambling. Higher up, or in areas where the original forest has been degraded, mountain heaths and brooms appear, which are usually covered with snow during the winter and offer habitat for species such as the Bluethroat, Ortolan and Rock Buntings, Dartford Warbler and Common Whitethroat, Northern Wheatear and Dunnock. And finally, above 1700 m, alpine meadows and matgrass appear accompanied by screes and rocky cliffs where the Alpine Accentor, Red-billed Chough, Water Pipit, Common Rock Thrush and Golden Eagle breed.
Some of the protected areas where these habitats occur are the Garganta de los Infiernos Natural Reserve and the SPAs Sierra de Gata and Valle de las Pilas, Hurdes and Sierra de las Villuercas and Guadarranque Valley.
