Region covered by this guide
This guidebook covers the Portuguese island of Madeira, plus the nearby satellite islands of Porto Santo and Las Desertas. It also makes brief reference to Selvagen Islands, which are further south, but are also Portuguese.
The Crossbill Guide is a thorough and practical guide for naturalists and nature lovers. It offers background information, detailed routes and site descriptions plus tips on watching wildlife and finding birds and wildflowers. Each route offers detailed descriptions of where and how to find wildlife and wildflowers and shows you the characteristics of the landscape and geology. In addition, it describes maritime excursions to the Desertas islands and the remote Selvagens archipelago to explore Madeira’s sea life.
About Madeira
Madeira is a volcanic island in the Atlantic Island. Its origins are similar to those of the Canary Islands and the wildlife shares many similarities too: large Laurel forests (the largest of its type in the world!), a unique flora with many endemic species, and a short list of birds, many of which are unique to this island or only shared with the Canaries. Madeira stands out for its hiking options in the laurel forests, its unique sea birds and mammals.
Look for more information and images on our Wildlife Site Page on Madeira.
About the authors
Dirk Hilbers (NL, 1976), set up the Crossbill Guides Foundation and travels Europe to research the guidebooks. This is the 26th guide on which he has worked. As a biologist, when not in the field, Dirk Hilbers is a free-lance writer and lecturer in the field of environmental ethics.
Kees Woutersen (NL, 1956) has lived in Huesca (Spain) for 20 years, working as a nature and bird guide throughout Spain. He runs his own travel company and is author of various books on birds and natural history. This is his 6th Crossbill Guide. He was also involved in the Crossbill Guides on Tenerife and La Gomera, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Southern Portugal, Eastern Andalucia
Madeira lover –
Excellent guidebook! With the Crossbill Guide to Madeira in hand, it was easy to find the endemic birds of the island.