Approximately, at the middle of the central part of the province of Málaga, some 100 km of mountains and forests, the gorge called Desfiladero de Gaitanes is placed. It stretches along the Guadalhorce Valley and connects the areas in the north of Málaga with those in the south. This has been an Area for Bird Protection (ZEPA) since 1987 and an Area of Special Preservation (ZEC) since 2013. Both of them are related to Natura 2000 European network. It has also been part of the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean, designated by UNESCO, since 2006. The most important event for the sight was its designation as a Natural Beauty Spot in 1989, as a part of the the Andalusian Nature Conservation Areas Network. It covers an area of 2016 hectares, where habitats, included birds habitats, are protected.

Out of 300 species that can be seen in Málaga, half can be seen in the Gaitanes Gorge Nature Park. If we add steppes and lakes from its surroundings, we can say that this small area of the province is home to all of the bird species which inhabit Málaga, except sea and coastal species.

Bird and animal biodiversity along El Caminito del Rey path is due to different kinds of territories which meet there. There is also to add a complex terrain which is created after drying some riverbeds that divide the province of Málaga in a fan that stretches from the north to Málaga bay. Many rocky formations up to 300 metres high that face south make it difficult to access the mountains and the centre of this nature reserve, the Hoyo Valley, which is a plain area surrounded by canyons and mountains.

Places where can you see birds in the surroundings of El Chorro

There are plenty of places where you can go birdwatching close to the Gaitanes Gorge Natural Beauty Spot. For example, all the mountains which spread eastwards and westwards have a lot of mountain birds.

Peñarrubia Precipice is one of these places. It is on the other part of the Guadalteba Reservoir and from there you can observe griffon vultures, Bonelli's eagles, peregrine falcons, black wheatears and other species which are typical for limestone mountains.

Torcal in Antequera, which is an example of a beautiful mountainous landscape, is full of ring ouzels and alpine accentors in winter.

The endings of the reservoirs Guadalteba, Guadalhorce and Conde del Guadalhorce (the Count of Guadalhorce's Reservoir), close to El Chorro lake, have vast zones of Tamarix shrubs, which are typical for Málaga and where colonies of herons, recently, also cormorants and small passerines, like pallid olive-gray warbler, can be found.

The place where the river Grande and Gudalhorce meet, next to the motorway A-357, is home to plenty of wading birds such as grey herons, great egrets, black storks, glossy ibis and passerines that live in wetlands.

Campillos Lakes (Dulce, Salada and Capacete) are also close and home to plenty of species that are common in wetlands.

Traditional cereal fields are surfaces which are getting smaller in this province but have a wide range of traditional species that are different to those that live in the mountains of this reserve. Some of the last habitats of its kind extend between the towns of Campillos, Fuente de Piedra and Antequera and have species like the little bustard, Montagu's harrier, kestrel, chalk-browed mockingbird, and so on.

Species that can be seen along El Caminito del Rey Path:

• Red-Legged Partridge
• Great Crested Grebe
• Rock Dove
• Common Wood Pigeon
• European Turtle Dove
• Common Cuckoo
• Red-Necked Nightjar
• Alpine Swift
• Common Swift
• Lesser Black-Backed Gull
• Great Cormorant
• Black-Crowned Night Heron
• Grey Heron
• Osprey
• Egyptian Vulture
• Griffon Vulture
•  Rüppell's Vultures
• Golden Eagle
• Bonelli's Eagle
• Booted Eagle
• Short-Toed Snake Eagle
• Northern Goshawks
• Eurasian Sparrowhawk
• Euroasian Eagle-Owl
• Tawny Owl
• Eurasian Scops Owl,
• Little Owl
• Eurasian Hoopoe
• European Bee-Eater
• Common Kingfisher
• Iberian Green Woodpecker
• Eurasian Wrynecks
• Peregrine Falcon
• Common Kestrel
•  Eurasian golden orioles
• Woodchat Shrike
• Eurasian Jay
• Red-Billed Choughs
• Common Raven
• Jackdaw
• Coal Tit
• Great Tit
• European Crested Tit
• Eurasian Blue Tit
• Thekla Larks
• Melodious Warbler
• Barn Swallow
• Red-Rumped Swallow
• Common House Martin
• Eurasian Crag Martin
• Common Chiffchaff
• Willow Warbler
• Western Bonelli's Warbler
• Cetti's Warbler
• Long-Tailed Bushtit
• Eurasian Blackcap
• Sardinian Warbler
• Western Orphean Warbler
• Western Subalpine Warbler
• Dartford Warbler
• Common Firecrest
• Eurasian Nuthatch
• Short-Toed Treecreeper
• Wallcreeper
• Eurasian Wren
• White-Throated Dipper
• Alpine Accentor
• Dunnock
• Spotless Starling
• Common Starling
• Song Thrush
• Redwing
• Common Blackbird
• Ring Ouzels
• Spotted Flycatcher
• European Robin
• Common Nightingale
• European Pied Flycatcher
• Common Redstart
• Black Redstart
• Common Rock Thrush
• Blue Rock Thrush
• European Stonechat
• Black Wheatears
• Black-Eared Wheatear
• Rock Sparrow
• Grey Wagtail
• White Wagtail
• Meadow Pipit
•  European Greenfinch
• Common Chaffinch
• Brambling
• European Serin
• Goldfinch
• Eurasian Siskin
• Common Linnet
• Red Crossbill
• Corn Bunting
• Rock Bunting
• Rock Runtings.