Deep within Calabria’s Sila mountains, among some of the oldest Corsican pines in the Mediterranean, a hidden community of birds has spent three years revealing the story of a forest that is still remarkably alive. A new ornithological study presented on Sunday, September 6th in the Giants of Sila Reserve recorded 60 breeding bird species, 40% of them of conservation interest.
Three seasons, from dawn to dusk, to uncover the forest’s secrets
The research, authored by Gianluca Congi and Tommaso Talerico and published in the “Sila Special” section of the 50th volume of “Gli Uccelli d’Italia,” the journal of the Italian Ornithological Society, is the result of three consecutive breeding seasons, from 2023 to 2025. The authors monitored the birdlife of the reserve and its surrounding open areas from dawn, sometimes well into the night, to build a precise picture of the bird community living in this corner of the Calabrian Apennines.
A kingdom of centuries-old pines, remnants of the ancient Silva Bruzia
The Giants of Sila Reserve, a FAI (Italian National Trust) property managed by the Sila National Park, is home to some of Italy’s most famous and majestic Calabrian black pines: living columns roughly 350 to 400 years old and among the last surviving witnesses of the ancient Silva Bruzia forest. It is within this setting that researchers identified the species of greatest conservation value.
Black woodpecker and collared flycatcher: sentinels of a mature forest
Among the species confirmed as breeding in the reserve are the black woodpecker, Europe’s largest woodpecker, and the collared flycatcher. Their presence is more than a rare sighting — both species act as biological indicators of a mature, ancient and well-preserved forest, underscoring the ecological value of the site for the reproduction of birds of major conservation significance.
A gathering of science, conservation and community
The presentation, moderated by reserve director Simona Lo Bianco at the historic Casino Mollo in Fallistro (Spezzano della Sila, Cosenza), was organised by FAI in partnership with the local conservation group GLC Lipu Sila and the Italian Ornithological Society, with the patronage of the Municipality of Spezzano della Sila. Speakers included Laura Carratelli (FAI’s regional president), Tommaso Talerico, Gianluca Congi, Giorgio Berardi (Lipu’s regional coordinator) and Domenico Laratta, president of Calabria’s regional authority for animal rights, who closed the event by highlighting the importance of birds to Sila’s biodiversity.
Knowledge as the first step to protection
A broad, collaborative research project that shows how natural monuments can be enjoyed responsibly — through ecologically-minded management that reconciles scientific knowledge with long-term conservation.