Life Canal de Castilla

The animals of the ponds of the Canal are dominated by water birds. Water birds vary widely with the seasons as the year advances. Species that reproduce in reed beds are especially important for Spanish conservation interests due to their degree of conservation. Among these birds are the members of the Ardeidae family, which are represented by the purple heron (Ardea purpurea), little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) and bittern (Botaurus stellaris). One of the few nesting areas of the bittern in the Iberian Peninsular is this wetland.

The community of small marsh passerines is also interesting, with species like the bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus), Savi's warbler (Locustella lusciniodes), reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), which use the dense reed beds and sedge meadows as nesting areas. Migratory species like the sedge warbler (Acrocephalus schonoebaenus) or the aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) rest and feed in these ponds during their long migratory flights. The aquatic warbler is a species endangered throughout the world.

The marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus), with more than 50 pairs, is another representative species of these wetlands and an environmental treasure that makes these wetlands nationally important.

Ducks and coots like the teal (Anas crecca), shoveler (Anas clypeata), and mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) are good examples of the wintering species that visit the ponds of the Canal in the harshest months of winter.

Among the mammals is a variety of mustelids, such as the otter (Lutra lutra), European polecat (Mustela putorius), stoat (Mustela erminea) and American mink (Mustela vison). The American mink is an invasive exotic species that threatens aquatic ecosystems and their biodiversity. Rodents include the southern water vole (Arvicola sapidus), a species that is presently in frank regression due to habitat loss and change.

The free waters of the pools contain abundant fish endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, including the Iberian barbel (Barbus bocagei), Duero nase (Chondrostoma duriense) and Iberian roach (Rutilus arcasii). In contrast, many species have been introduced for fishery purposes, as in the case of the tench (Tinca tinca), carp (Carassius auratus) and black bass (Micropterus salmoides), which has a negative impact on the physical and biological characteristics of the ponds.

The community of amphibians and reptiles of the wetlands of the Canal de Castilla includes urodeles like the Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus) and palmate newt (Triturus helveticus), and anurans like the Iberian green frog (Rana perezi) and European tree frog (Hyla arborea).

Invertebrates are one of the most important elements in the functioning of these ecosystems because they are a mainstay of the food chain. There is currently no catalogue of the invertebrates of these wetlands, but some groups have been intensively studied, such as aquatic choleoptera that are commonly used as bioindicators in the characterisation of these milieu. A harmful species of invertebrate present in these wetlands is the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), an invasive exotic species responsible for the loss of habitat quality in many wetlands due to the foraging pressure it brings to bear on aquatic vegetation