Wildlife species hunted in Portugal
Kindly translated by Les
1. Rabbit
2. Hare
3. Fox
4. Mongoose
5. Pheasant
6. Red leg Partridge
7. Rock Pigeon
8. Magpie
9. Blackbird (Decision to allow the hunting of Blackbirds reversed)
10. Mallard
11. Gadwall Duck
12. Wood Cock
13. Widgeon
14.Yellow Billed Teal
15. White eyed Duck
16. Pintail Duck
17. Green Winged Teal
18. Northern Shovelar
19. Dabbling Duck
20. Tufted Duck
21. Moor Hen
22. Common Snipe
23. Jack Snipe
24. Bald Coot
25. Golden Plover
26. Dove
27. Wood Pigeon
28. Collard Dove
29. Missal Thrush
30. Fieldfare
31. Redwing
32. Song Thrush
33. Starling
34. Wild Boar
35. Fallow Deer
36. Red Deer
37. Roe Deer
38. Mountain Sheep
Further information (in Portuguese) is available in PDF format here
The hunting season in Portugal commences on 15th August and finishes end of February. However, this may be subject to change see the Autoridade Florestal Nacional website for more information.
Non-migratory species, depending on the AFN may be hunted all year. Please check website for details.
Related articles: Blackbirds In Portugal Are Once Again “Under Fire”
Update August 2011 – the decision to include Blackbirds in the list of species legally hunted has now been reversed.
Piglet in Portugal 
It seems to me that the Portuguese use the birds for target practise to keep their hand in for the bigger stuff…. i walk my dogs every day in the forest and see used gu shot shell less than 100 meters from my house , i thought that was illegal ? If i saw anyone shooting anything on my land, i would take my crossbow out with me and see how they would like being a ‘fun target ‘
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Why such an extensive list? Seems pointless to kill them really… what a pity! 😦
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A huge list ! I also hope they end up on someone’s dinner table !!! Beautiful photos !
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Just hoping that they all end up on the table!
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That’s quite a list. Why are they hunted?
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I always assumed to eat or animals such as foxes which are vermin to control, but now I’m not so sure.
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Magpies I get – murderers!
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and Foxes!
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Apart from rabbit that I know the Portuguese love to eat (I never tried it), I can´t see why the others would be killed (apart from foxes, that can eat chickens if you keep them…).
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Me neither Sami,
Fox hunting was banned in the UK and now foxes spread like rats. I understand there has to be some form of control, but I hope with 30 species listed some are at least eaten.
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So you do not think wild boar is edible? Or pigeon! check out older english cook books and most european diets!
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Make sure you stay out of harm’s way, PiP!
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Thanks Nancy 🙂 I love walking through the countryside, but I now wonder if they also lay traps…
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Do the Portuguese eat all these creatures….in other words, why do they hunt them?
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Hi Thorny Rose,
I am not actually sure. In the UK I had some sort of game which had been shot and it was full of lead and not very pleasant!
To me there is a distinct difference between killing for fun and hunting to eat.
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Hello,
I can confirm just about all the species on the list are eaten except for the vermin species. Trophy hunting isn’t really a thing in Portugal most Portuguese hunters like me hunt for the love of the countryside and for the opportunity to harvest and take home delicious food.
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