CUERVO RIVER: SOURCE, ROUTE, TRIBUTARIES, FLORA AND FAUNA - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The Cuervo river is born in the Vega del Codorno municipality, within the province of Cuenca in the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha. It has a length of 39 km, ending in the Guadiela next to the town of Puente de Vadillos.

The geography through which this Spanish river runs is made up of a mountainous area without high mountains, with steep rock formations and intricate reliefs, which makes it one of the most typical of this region.

Within the tributaries of the Cuervo River, the Río de la Hoz can be considered as one of its main water courses. Photo: Diego_cue

It is populated by tall pine forests, mainly by the black pine (Pinus nigra), which is accompanied by oak groves, holm oaks and Albares junipers, among many other types characteristic of the area.

Birth, route and mouth

The source of the Cuervo river occurs in the Serranía de la Cuenca Natural Park, from where its large rocks let waterfalls run that wet a green landscape full of wooded vegetation, drawing a spectacular landscape for locals and visitors.

This area is within a protected area since 1999, called a Natural Monument with an area of ​​1,709 hectares, with which it seeks to maintain the protection of the surrounding forests, the fauna and the source of the river itself. From the Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park, it borders another area protected by law such as the Alto Tajo Natural Park.

It begins its journey near the towns of Vega del Codorno and Tragacete, to then flow in a northwest direction between extensive plains and steep rocks, being used by the inhabitants of its banks mainly for agricultural uses.

During its journey you can see geological accidents product of the erosion and relief of calcareous rocks, such as slopes, ridges and escarpments that stand out between the mountains, and that provide the environment with a unique landscape, allowing the observation with the naked eye of the stratigraphic sediments hundreds of millions of years ago.

On the other hand, for its use there is the small De la Tosca reservoir, next to the town of Santa María del Val, and further on there is a water bottling plant in Solán de Cabras.

Thus, on the calcareous rock, the channel unfolds through the Vega del Codorno region, which has a population of 153 inhabitants (according to the 2015 census) in an area of ​​32 km ².

Then there is Santa María del Val with 61 inhabitants in an area of ​​46 km ², and then continue flowing through the mountain forest, passing through Solán de Cabras and finally ending in the town of Puente de Vadillos as a tributary of the Guadiela River, whose extension It is 115 km long and which in turn flows into another important river, the Tagus.

characteristics

Protected zone

Its legal protection figures were decreed to preserve the natural wealth that it represents in the area, which translates into the multiplication of the animals that live there and the conservation of the different tree species.

A work that has been intensified over the years in order not only to rescue the purity of this natural resource and its environment, but also to maintain it over time with a future projection.

It has also been decreed a Place of Community Importance and a Special Protection Zone for Birds due to the high diversity found among the species that inhabit its ecosystem.

Natural beauty

El Cuervo has a peculiarity that makes it unique in the area, and that is that you can attend its spring that is born at a height of 1,469 meters above sea level, one of the greatest natural spectacles that it offers.

Another of its main attractions is manifested when its spring begins to flow between cascades of calcareous rock stalactites, a natural rock formation in the area covered with moss. Such waterfalls reach freezing point during the winter season, from October to April, when temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius can be recorded.

This is used to promote tourism in the area thanks to the particularity of this part of the mountains, agriculture and grazing, always emphasizing ecological awareness and sensitivity to nature.

Inside the monument there are several routes through the forest that lead to the source. During the walk you can enjoy the open air, the sound of the water that runs through the river, the sound of the different birds that make life in the area and you can see some animals such as the red squirrel.

Throughout the riverbed you can find paths for hiking, ascents to the plateaus with panoramic views such as the Río Cuervo Canyon, a spa in Solán de Cabras and the surrounding towns with typical gastronomic proposals of the place.

Tributaries

Within the tributaries of the Cuervo River, the Río de la Hoz can be considered as one of its main water courses, and different streams such as Valdetorreros, Mingoleño, de la Ejidilla, Mailloso, La Cañada del Cura, de las Salinas, del Reconquillo.

There is also the Torrente Chorrontón and the so-called Barranco de la Pedriza, Barranco del Valle, Barranco de la Herrería, Barranco del Puerco, Barranco de Juan Rueda, Barranco de la Teta, Vallejo del Borbotón, Barranco de los Astiles, the Vallejo de las Hoyuelas and the Vallejo del Agua.

Flora and fauna

Vegetation

Within the vegetation that surrounds the river, the existence of the black pine can be highlighted, being the most abundant of all the species that develop there. Also appear in the area sabinares albares, holm oaks and oak forests, as well as forests with species typical of the Eurosiberian plant system full of linden, poplars, elms, maples and holly, peat and rupicolous plants and at least 19 species of orchids.

Mammals

All of the above and the large protected area provide a safer space for the reproduction and preservation of the fauna that makes life in the mountains. Among mammals, we can mention the existence of the red squirrel, common in the forests of the European continent, with a maximum body size of 30 cm, the length of the tail of up to 25 cm and a weight of up to 340 gr.

The wildcat has also been found, with dark gray and brownish fur with dark stripes all over the body, larger than that of a domestic feline, weighing up to 5 kilos, with a wide head and a small snout.

The Cabrera mosgaño turns out to be another mammal very similar to the rodents that abound in the area. With gray fur on the back and white underneath, its body measures a maximum of 10 cm and its tail can reach up to 6.4 centimeters in length, all within just 16 grams of weight.

The common deer, forest lover and prairie walker, must be added to the fauna of the place. This mammal is abundant in the protected area, although its sighting can be a bit difficult. They can weigh up to 300 kg and measure between head and tail up to two meters and twenty centimeters in length. It feeds on grass, cereal and woody plants according to the climatic season.

Among the above, the roe deer occupies a special place, the smallest of the deer family, with a maximum weight of about 25 kg and an exclusive antler for males. It feeds on the branches of shrubs and trees such as oak, beech and birch, among others.

Other mammals that roam in the vicinity are the mouflon, from the bovidae family where the mountain goat is also found. It can measure up to 70 cm high by about 135 cm in length between head and tail, to weigh up to 40 kg. It feeds on the basis of grasses. The wild boar and the bat complete the picture of the mammalian fauna that inhabits the Serranía de Cuenca, of which the Cuervo River is an important part.

Birds

Regarding birds, one of the most common is the water blackbird, with a dark brownish appearance on the back and white under the head, reaching up to 20 cm in length and about 30 cm in wingspan. A bird that dives if it is necessary to feed itself and is nervous when it perches on the branches of trees.

Another very common bird on the banks of the river is the gray wagtail, whose plumage is distributed between gray, black and yellow. It measures about 19 cm in length and 26 cm in wingspan. Like the blackbird, it feeds on both land and water insects.

There are also birds of prey such as the hawk, the short-toed eagle, the goshawk and the griffon vulture, responsible for maintaining balance in the rodent habitat at least in this geographical area.

Other important flying species are the lepidopteran invertebrates, or butterflies, some of its 137 diurnal species being in a state of protection, given their propensity for rapid disappearance.

Fishes

The common trout has become one of the most common inhabitants of the river, along with the vermilion and the native white-legged crab. There is also boga, chub, carp, pike, percasol, tench, barbel and trout, which make fishing one of the most recreational and sporting activities on the Cuervo River.

References

1. Official tourism website of Castilla La Mancha, taken from turismocastillalamancha.es.
2. Official website of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, Government of Spain, taken from miteco.gob.es.
3. Official website of the Cuenca City Council, taken from turismo.cuenca.es.
4. Iberian fauna: Animals of Spain and Portugal, the Wildcat, taken from faunaiberica.org.
5. The butterflies of the Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park, Revista Medio Ambiente JCCM, taken from revistamedioambientejccm.es.