The marsh bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is among Spain’s most endangered birds, surviving only in a handful of wetlands in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. One subspecies is sliding toward direct extinction, with fewer than thirty breeding pairs remaining nationwide.
The Ibero-Western subspecies shows a sharp 62% decline, while the Ibero-Eastern subspecies has dropped by about 22%. A recent census conducted by SEO/BirdLife highlights the species’ strong ties to Spain’s wetlands and underscores how landscape changes continue to threaten its future.
Protection measures reflect the bird’s clear link to wetland habitats. The ongoing transformation and fragmentation of these ecosystems have hit the marsh bunting hard, and a quiet slide toward extinction appears when comparing the latest census with data from 2005.
Las Tablas de Daimiel stands out as one of the last strongholds where this species persisted.
Current reports indicate the Ibero-Western subspecies now has only twenty to thirty breeding pairs, whereas the Ibero-Eastern subspecies holds between 238 and 244 pairs. These figures justify its inclusion in the critically endangered category on the IUCN Red List.
Both populations have already suffered dramatic declines, with documented losses exceeding eighty percent in the early 21st century according to the cited documents.
Today, the two subspecies are confined to two areas spanning roughly ten square kilometers: the Ibero-Western marsh bunting is found in six wetlands in Galicia, while the Ibero-Eastern form occupies separate locations within the Ebro Delta, Las Tablas de Daimiel and the Albufera of Mallorca.
Recent extinctions in Euskadi, Cantabria and Asturias.
Over the past two decades, the marsh bunting has disappeared from several autonomous communities, including the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias.
SEO/BirdLife emphasizes that survival hinges on the maintenance of specific wetland plant assemblages and continual flooding, such as sparse reeds and waterlogged reedbeds, which provide essential habitat structure and resources.
The species has suffered particularly from the loss of between sixty and seventy-five percent of Iberian wetlands over the last two centuries. Because these birds breed in small, isolated wetlands, many sites were destroyed by shifts in water regimes driven by agricultural practices and groundwater use.
Eastern Iberian marsh buntings have been observed wintering in reserves like the Utxesa area, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity and seasonal habitat use for conservation planning.
In response to these threats, SEO/BirdLife prepared a draft strategy for ecological transition and demographic resilience and submitted it to the relevant ministry. The proposal advocates two main pillars: region-specific actions to protect and restore suitable habitats, and improvements in the hydrological management of wetlands through integrated watershed policies that support sustainable water use and habitat connectivity.
The proposal also calls for increasing the breeding population in active wetlands and expanding the species range by restoring and connecting habitats across key wetland networks, enabling dispersal to new breeding sites and facilitating recolonization of areas that have shown recent presence.
A 2021 Palustre Notary Census provides a detailed baseline for ongoing monitoring and assessment of habitat status and population trends.
Conservationists stress the need to prioritize wetland restoration, hydrological balance, and landscape permeability to give the marsh bunting a viable future in Spain and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole.
Notes on data collection and official reporting underscore the value of continued field surveys, habitat mapping, and collaboration among regional authorities, scientists, and conservation groups to implement effective, evidence-based protection measures.
All discussions emphasize a pragmatic approach that balances wetland restoration with sustainable water management, recognizing that successful conservation depends on both habitat quality and population connectivity across the landscape.
Further monitoring and research are encouraged to refine management actions, improve habitat suitability, and track population responses to restoration and hydrological policies over time.