Birds
The Alpilles is an ideal habitat for birds. Steep cliffs, large expanses of woodland and low human pressure - nothing less is needed for nesting to flourish. Among the most emblematic birds of the Alpilles are :
Bonelli's eagle. This is a medium-sized eagle with contrasting plumage. Its distinctive silhouette is easily recognized, standing out majestically against the azure sky. It's a rather solitary animal that likes to nest on vertiginous, well-exposed peaks. It also needs a fairly large, wooded territory in which to hunt. And this is exactly what it finds in the Alpilles massif. It is a bird that hates to be disturbed, and can easily abandon its nest in such circumstances. Hence the need to respect its habitat.
Percnopter vulture. A small vulture with white wings and black tips when fully grown. Like Bonelli's eagle, it nests on cliffs, but prefers to hunt in cultivated fields or on the edge of marshes. It is also a real cleaner of livestock, ridding their skin of ticks and fecal matter stuck to their fur. Its courtship display is truly spectacular, a veritable display of acrobatics. It doesn't spend all its time in the Alpilles. In fact, it's a migratory bird that heads south once its nesting season is over.
Kestrel. This is a small diurnal bird of prey, easily recognized by its curved beak at the base. It's a gregarious animal that likes to hang out with other birds. Some groups can comprise more than a hundred individuals. The Kestrel feeds mainly on insects, but does not neglect small mammals either. That said, it's a bird that knows how to adapt to its environment and can, if necessary, change its diet.
Eagle-owl. You're unlikely to see this bird during the day. In fact, its domain is the night. This nocturnal bird of prey hunts at dusk and dawn. Its diet is extremely varied. It eats insects as well as small mammals, snakes, lizards... Like Bonelli's eagle, it prefers to nest on rock faces, but will not hesitate to use the abandoned nests of other large birds, in rock crevices or even on the ground.
Mammals
There are dozens of species of mammals in the Alpilles: wild boars, rabbits... for the most classic. But there are others much more surprising, like the bats (yes, they are mammals) of which the species counts tens of thousands of representatives. There are even 19 species out of the 26 identified in Europe. Contrary to the legend, the bat does not feed on blood (except for some species that live in South America), but on fruits, insects and occasionally frogs, even small fish. By the way, do you know why bats sleep upside down? Well, simply because it is the position that allows them the fastest flight in case of danger. They don't have to take a run-up, they just have to let themselves fall.
On the Camargue side, there are of course also many mammals. The most obvious are horses and bulls, but also coypu and, more rarely, beavers, which have established their habitat on the banks of the Rhone.
Reptiles
There are about fifteen of them in the Camargue: Montpellier snakes (harmless, but sometimes impressive by its size), Aesculapian snakes and even freshwater turtles. Several species of lizards are also present in the Alpilles, including the famous ocellated lizard (which is a saurian, a sub-family of reptiles), which is the largest lizard in Europe. It feeds mainly on insects and beetles, but does not hesitate to modify its menu, if necessary. It is part of the species threatened with extinction, in the short term.
Pisces
Carp, eel, pike, catfish in water douce ; sea bream, bass, sole in salt water. The Camargue has about 40 species of fish. There are also six species of amphibians, forty-five molluscs and a dozen crustaceans. So much so that fishermen find here a perfect ground to satisfy their passions.
Insects
Of course, the first ones that come to mind are those pesky mosquitoes that ruin the lives of tourists. But there are many others: fifty-two species of butterflies, no less than four hundred moths, forty-three species of dragonflies... These small inhabitants of our planet are undoubtedly at home here.
Flore
Aleppo pine, cedar, Scots pine, holm oak... there is no lack of species in the 19,000 hectares of the Alpilles forest. But the forest is not the only ecosystem, since there are also areas of Provencal scrubland, with traditional plants, such as thyme, lavender, iris and small bushes. Some plants, such as the summer snowflake, with its white bells or the helianthemum, which is oriented in the direction of the sun, are rare and are subject to national protection.
On the Camargue side, the plain and the wetlands (sansouires) represent 97% of the territory. The flora is obviously different from that of the Alpilles, poorer from a quantitative point of view. This is due to the high concentration of salt in the earth. Salicornia, soudes, obiones, get their way by adopting a stratagem which consists in gorging themselves with water to decrease the saline concentration in their cells, which explains the fleshy aspect of their branches.
Aquatic vegetation
The Camargue marshes are home to numerous aquatic plants and species. Among the finest specimens are yellow water lilies, white water lilies and oenanthes, herbaceous plants that resemble certain edible plants. Don't be fooled, however, as these plants are poisonous, even deadly. Some of the more exotic species are said to induce a sort of smile on the face of the victim who has ingested too much.
Further south, as you approach the sea, you'll find what are known as dune-building plants, such as the oyat, easily recognized by its yellow spikelets, or the euphorbia, with its green-tinged aniseed colors that light up in spring.
