Guia de fauna urbana de Barcelona

Author/s: Sergi García Rodríguez and Martí Franch
Co-edition with: Cossetània Edicions
Collection: Barcelona Ecology
Subcollection: Barcelona Ecologia i Natura

‘People tend to think the city is only home to animals everyone knows: dogs, cats, pigeons, rats and the occasional sparrow. To a certain extent, this limited, partial view is logical, as cities have never been very nature-friendly.’

This guide includes the description, biology, status, scientific name, common name (in Catalan and Spanish), an excellent visual representation and other aspects of around eighty species of vertebrate wildlife and forty invertebrate species that can be observed in Barcelona. This may seem a lot, but this is just a selection of the most representative species of the city’s largely unknown, surprising fauna.

The species are organised according to their habitats (water, parks and gardens, built environments) and in many cases, the places where you are most likely to find them is mentioned. Through knowledge, the intention is to foster an appreciation and acceptance of our immediate natural surroundings.

Society

Ecology

Science

Urban wildlife

Environment

Sustainability

What are them saying

"Passegem per la ciutat entre mussols, blauets, guineus, mimoses, miraguans i trèbols pudents."

CATORZE.CAT 23/11/2023

"Més enllà dels coloms, les paneroles, les rates i els pardals a Barcelona s’hi poden trobar altres espècies vertebrades i invertebrades. Un desconeixement que no es limita al món animal sinó també al de les espècies vegetals."

BETEVÉ 31/01/2024

Sergi García Rodríguez

(Barcelona, 1965) holds a degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Girona and another in Hispanic Studies from the University of Barcelona. Since 1999, he has been involved in the Galanthus organisation, through which he has developed a multitude of projects to highlight urban biodiversity, mainly in Barcelona. These include the reintroduction of the peregrine falcon, the Oreneta (swallows) project, the naturalisation of urban ponds and the reintroduction of the hedgehog. He has given advice on the design of nests integrated into buildings: an experience that led him to publish the book Arquitectura i fauna urbana [Architecture and Urban Fauna], of which he is the co-author. He has written information and opinion pieces for La Vanguardia, El País and El Periódico and for magazines such as Quercus, Descobrir Catalunya and Barcelona Metròpolis, among others. Currently, he is working on projects and other tasks related to urban biodiversity for Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and Viladecans Town Council.

Martí Franch

Martí Franch (Vic, 1988) is a biologist and nature illustrator. As a biologist, he was a technician at the Catalan Institute of Ornithology for a decade, during which time he coordinated projects on a Catalan and European scale and wrote European Breeding Bird Atlas 2 and Tercer atles dels ocells nidificants de Catalunya [Third Atlas of the Nesting Birds of Catalonia]. Subsequently, he worked in bird management and conservation in the Government of Catalonia’s Flora and Fauna Service. A self-taught illustrator, he has worked on various scientific and educational projects for more than 25 years, published books, and produced information panels for natural spaces and all kinds of educational materials and infographics on the study and conservation of biodiversity.