page_title: Trabancos (river)
section_title: ZEPA designation
hierarchical_section_title: Trabancos (river) / ZEPA designation
caption_attribution_description: ZEPA Tierra de Campiñas (Castilla y León) Zona: Tierra de Campiñas (Valladolid, Salamanca, Ávila) Superficie: 139.445 hectáreas Localidades de referencia: Medina del Campo, Alaejos, Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Cantalapiedra Hábitats característicos: Llanura cerealista, pinares, sotos, humedales, pastizales Especies por las que se declara la ZEPA: Avutarda, Cigüeña común, Milano real, Aguilucho cenizo, Cernícalo primilla, Grulla común, Sisón, Ortega, Ganga común Otras especies de interés: Aguilucho pálido, Alcotán, Esmerejón, Ciguñuela, Alcaraván Centro de visitantes: Centro del Cernícalo Primilla en Madrigal de las Altas Torres, gestionado por la Sociedad Española de Ornitología/Birdlife International Época aconsejada de visita: Todo el año Código: ES000204 verLista de aves
context_page_description: The Trabancos is a river in Spain that flows between the Zapardiel and the Guareña rivers, and is a tributary of the Duero river. The source of the Trabancos is in Moraña, a region in the north of the province of Ávila, near Blascomillán. The Trabancos is at an elevation of approximately 1,100 metres, is approximately 85 kilometres long and, although its river bed is stable, only has a constant water flow during and immediately after torrential rains.
context_section_description: The middle and final course of the river Trabancos has been included in the Special Protection Area (SPA or in Spanish ZEPA) Tierra de Campiñas (Land of champaigns).
  ZEPA SPAs, are catalogued by the member states of the European Union as natural zones of special interest for the conservation of bird species threatened with extinction, in accordance with the criteria established by the community board Birds Directive 79/409/CEE and subsequent modifications by the (Directiva de Aves) "Aviary Regulation Board" of the EU.
  Although the designation also includes a portion of the Guareña River's course to the west, and the Zapardiel River's course to the east, the Trabancos River ZEPA SPA designated area is the largest in the Autonomous Community of Castile and León, since it covers almost 1,400 square kilometres, including the Campo de Peñaranda (in Salamanca), the Moraña (in Ávila) and, especially, a large part of the Tierra de Medina del Campo. In all, 73% of the territory of the Trabancos ZEPA SPA corresponds to the province of Valladolid.
  The designated region is largely uninhabited —97% of the area is agricultural land, with an emphasis on cereal crops and other  irrigation farming purposes. The areas of ecological interest are found in the remaining 3% percent of the terrain. The region is characterized by tilled land and pastures, small pine woods and holm oak woods, with interspersed wasteland areas covered in halophile bushes. There are also many small ephemeral ponds; a characteristic of Spanish steppes, which are only water-filled during the winter. From a conservation standpoint, such ponds, like nearby segments of the Trabancos River's banks, are in a precarious ecological state. Nevertheless, the areas are still capable of sustaining the flora and fauna commensurate with a natural riverside environment.
  The Trabancos region stands out for its concentration of great bustards (more than 2000); as well as having the largest reproductive concentration of black-bellied sandgrouses (Pterocles orientalis) in Castile and León (with more than 200 mating pairs). It is also the winter season nesting ground of more than 1,500 red kites (Milvus milvus). There are also numerous birds of prey; the most abundant are Montagu's harriers (Circus pygargus, 50 mating pairs) and lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni; almost 150 mating pairs), but there are also hawks, goshawks, falcons, owls, and others. The region is also host to numerous gamebirds, including the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa).
  Despite their importance, the population of little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in the region appear to be diminishing. Although not all the species protected in this ZEPA SPA can be listed, the protected area is a migratory crossing site and wintertime nesting area that, along with the Riberas de Castronuño (Valladolid) nature reserve, is frequented by many waterfowl (cranes, geese, etc.), some of which even take advantage of the area ephemeral ponds for nesting during humid winters.
caption: Map showing the ZEPA SPA designated territory. The red-colored area corresponds to the province of Valladolid, and the orange corresponds to Salamanca and Ávila.
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2006:02:24 09:31:47", "Image ExifOffset": "164", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "302", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7697", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "713", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "765"}