The elusive and highly endangered Iberian lynx is now found only in the Sierra de Andújar and one other location. This range is also one of the few places in Andalucia to still harbour the increasingly rare wolf.
The densely wooded natural park lies in the central part of the extensive Sierra Morena range, its rocky hills ranging from 500 to 1,290 metres in altitude.
Among the threatened species found here are Iberian lynx – one of only two places in Spain – wolf, black vulture and imperial eagle, while other mammals include wild boar, mouflon, red, fallow and roe deer, Egyptian mongoose, wild cat, fox and otter.
Birds of prey include both griffon and Egyptian vultures, plus golden and Spanish imperial eagles, while other birdlife includes red-billed chough, azure-winged magpie, golden oriole and nightingale. The area’s watercourses are home to common chiffchaff, warblers, grey and purple herons, little grebe, coot, and the ubiquitous mallard.
The park boasts Andalucia's best preserved expanses of Mediterranean forest and scrubland, whose typical flora includes trees such as willow, poplar, stone pine (with its edible kernels), umbrella and Austrian pines, and alder, with an undergrowth of strawberry trees, lentisc, myrtle, wild olive and oleander, while aromatic shrubs such as rosemary, thyme and majoram are found in abundance.
In the south of the park is the Sanctuario Virgen de la Cabeza, a hermitage perched on the top of a granite outcrop, with spectacular views of the sierra and the valley of the Jándula river.
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