Migratory birds are critically dependent on adequate wintering habitats for their long-term
survival. Cantabrian farmland, a mixed agricultural landscape extending across the coastal
lowlands of northern Spain, constitutes an important wintering area for many short-distance
migrants coming from central-western and northern Europe. Unfortunately, the Common
Agricultural Policy of the European Union and national afforestation schemes have resulted
in a massive replacement of farmland by pine Pinus spp. and eucalypt Eucalyptus sp …

… This work assesses the importance of Cantabrian farmland as wintering grounds for short-distance
European migrants and for wintering species that originate in nearby woodlands. We
examined the seasonal changes in passerine bird populations in the Cantabrian region and
used winter ringing recoveries obtained in the area to evaluate the contribution made by
European migrants to winter populations. Bird communities were surveyed along 299 500-m
long transects distributed between 67 farmland patches, 67 lowland forests and 14 upland …