Extremadura is, by far, the main wintering site for the common crane in Spain during the coldest months of the year. To welcome this migratory bird, Extremadura Tourist Board is celebrating the 17th edition of the Crane Festival this Saturday.
The Director-General for Tourism, Óscar Mateos, and the Mayor of Madrigalejo, Sergio Rey, visited the area to learn about the various scheduled activities and to speak with the participating businesses, organisations and conservation associations.
With this festival, the Regional Government aims to highlight Extremadura’s extraordinary resources related to ornithological and nature tourism.
According to the latest census, conducted at national level by the Extremaduran NGO Grus Extremadura, 118,171 cranes spent the winter of 2024–2025 in the region, out of nearly 260,000 recorded across Spain.
These birds are distributed throughout Extremadura, although the most significant populations are concentrated in Vegas Altas del Guadiana, the Miajadas–Trujillo area, Navalvillar de Pela, Siruela and other sites in La Siberia, as well as the reservoirs of Los Canchales, Borbollón, Valdecañas and Gabriel y Galán.
This year, the Crane Festival debuts its new location in Madrigalejo, from where more than thirty activities for all audiences are being held. Early risers enjoyed a “breakfast with cranes”, followed by observation routes, a photography workshop, urban sketching sessions and traditional migas extremeñas.
The Fernando el Católico Interpretation Centre hosted technical talks in which experts discussed the management and conservation challenges of the common crane.
The programme also included specific activities for children, such as various workshops led by conservation organisations Adenex, Amus, Anser, Ecologistas en Acción, Grus Extremadura, SEO/BirdLife and the Extremaduran Society of Zoology (SEZ), scavenger hunts and the awards ceremony for the children’s drawing competition, to be held in the afternoon.
The Director-General for Tourism stressed that events such as this one, along with others held in the region focused on ornithological tourism, “demonstrate the potential of a tourism sector capable of offering unique experiences and products in direct contact with nature, while generating economic opportunities and visibility for our towns”.
Along these lines, special mention goes to the Extremadura Birdwatching Fair (FIO), also organised by the Regional Government. Over the course of 21 years, it has become Spain’s leading event for the nature tourism and birdwatching sector. The next edition will take place from 27 February to 1 March, and once again Monfragüe National Park will bring together national and international businesses and destinations, hosting dozens of talks, workshops and activities.
