In Vélez's District and taking into account mainly the fauna and flora biography, we can differentiate 3 main ecosystems units: woodlands, rocky cliffs and the agricultural areas.

Community of birds of forest and rocky cliff habitats

The good state of conservation of the forest masses of the district and the existence of rocky, escarp cliff favourable the presence of numerous forest and rocky cliff species that is of special interest for the ornithological tourism, both for the beginner and experience birdwatcher.

Species of interest

•  As forest Species of Tourist Interest or rocky cliff one can hope to observe egyptian Vulture, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, Bonelli's eagle, pallid swift (Apus pallidus), black wheatear, blue rock thrush, red-billed chough, rock bunting, common cuckoo, Eurasian scops-owl, Rufous-tailed scrub robin, Western Orphean warbler (Sylvia hortensis), spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), golden oriole, Eurasian green woodpecker and Dartford warbler, all of them threat at least at Andalusian level.
•  The practical extinction in the area of the Eurasian griffon has impulse the administration to begin captivity breeding projects of these birds that time behind occupied the highest areas in the mountains of the district.

Time of the year

The whole year, although especially during the spring and beginnings of the summer.

Observation Places

•  Suitable places to observe forest and rocky cliff birds are the mountains of the district and more concretely in the transition area between the forest areas and the deforested areas of high mountain, what usually allows wide vision of the sites. Sierra Larga and la Umbría de la Virgen are characteristic examples of these places.
•  The itinerary of Pinares de la Alfahuara can also propitiate good paseriformes and forest predators observations.

The cultivated countrysides constitute a suitable habitat for a singular and attractive avifauna for the ornithologist.

•  Among the birds well adapted to open habitats that can be observed in the district we can find  the lesser kestrel, the little bustard, the stone-curlew, the black-bellied sandgrouse, the European turtledove, the European roller, the black-eared wheatear and the Southern grey shrike among other.
•  We also should mention the proposal pans to enhance  lesser kestrel breeding, threatened species that use old constructions for nesting.

Time of the year:

• The best time to observe these birds is in spring-summer since most of them breed in these places.

Observation places

• Some of the places with greater ornithological potential  are the agricultural areas dedicated to the cultivation of herbaceous, cereals land in the adjacent municipalities of María and Vélez Blanco.

 Also  suitable place for the observation of plains birds to the north of the municipality of Chirivel. All these areas have a wide visual field.