Climate - Ressources - Culture - Histoire - Nature - Garajonay National Park - Protected areas
Fauna - Flora - Geology - Silbo Gomero

 

La Gomera is relatively rich in fauna in spite of its limited extension.

Its proximity to Tenerife and its age have made easy the colonization by many forest animals, and have propitiated the evolution of many species and breeds exclusive to the island. About 40 types of nesting birds have been catalogued, as well as three species of bats, three reptiles, one frog and at least 2.000 different species of insects and other invertebrates.

The forests of the centre of the island are home to the most varied and interesting fauna ; their most characteristic birds are the woodcock, and the breed of canary laurel pigeon and Bollei's pigeon, in addition to local breeds of ravens, sparrow hawks, buzzards, chaffinchs, robins, blue tits. etc.

In open areas and zones of medium altitude the brown partridge, the blackbird and the kestrel abound, together with the skink and especially the Gomera lizard ; the stripless tree frog is abundant in the ponds and streams, which are also frequented by the gray wagtail and multiple dragon flies.

In the lower dry area in addition to lizards there aregeckos, and the most characteristic birds are the canary pipet, the warblen and occasionally the trumpeter finch.

The coasts are frequented by gulls, shearwaters, and terns, and on occasion the osprey barbary falcon can be observed.

In all of the open territory of the island there abounds one species that was introduced here : the rabbit.

The fauna of insects and arachnids is also interesting, and 70% of them are endemic. Among the most noteworthy are the "African monarch" and a local breed of the canary brimstone; the wingless grasshopper of the laurel forests and the gomeran earwig are surprisingly large.