Winter escape

Despite the cold and snow, many cranes tried to remain in their breeding grounds after the outbreak of avian influenza. However, following the prolonged cold spell and heavy snow cover, many of them have been drawn south in recent days. According to crane coordinator José Antonio Román Álvarez, 185,246 cranes were recorded in Spain during the nationwide census on 19 December 2025. Of these, 84,77 cranes were in Extremadura, 10,265 in Andalusia and 41,396 in Castilla la Mancha. Here (Stop-over information - Europe) you can see the current distribution of cranes in Europe.

Photo: (c) Dr. Günter Nowald, Data: (c) José Antonio Román Álvarez