Roe buck in Montserrat

This roe deer has well branched horns.

Since the last decade, examples of roe buck ( Capreolus capreolus) have been seen in Montserrat and its surroundings. Now we can already speak of a stable and well-constituted population in practically all the localities of the area (for example: El Bruc, Sant Salvador de Guardiola, Marganell, Castellbell, Monistrol, Vacarises, Viladecavalls, Olesa de Montserrat, Esparreguera, Collbato, Hostalets Pierola or Piera). This beautiful and light cervid(her size is 75cm / 2,5 feet at the shoulders and 30kg / 66lb of weight) is, for now, the only deer in Montserrat, since the red deer (Cervus elaphus) has not reappeared since its extinction. Hopefully not in too many years, the current populations of red deer from El Berguedà, Solsonés or Osona, can recolonize these mountains.

This second roe deer has horns where the ramification is barely visible.

In these videos (recorded just 12 days apart, in the Puigventós massif, in the municipality of Olesa de Montserrat), we can see how a roe deer (with a well-branched horn) marks the branches of a tree by rubbing its forehead and its horns to impregnate them with its scent and mark the territory in front of its competitors. In the second video, another roe deer (with the horn hardly branching), marks the same branches of the same tree also with its forehead and horns. Roe deer have glands on their forehead and base of the horns to segregate the scent to use to mark their territory. They also have these glands in the hooves, in the second video you can see how the animal energetically rubs its hooves with the ground to mark it. These disputes over the territory between males, indicates that the population is stable and with a good density

Tags: corzo, cabirol, roe buck, montserrat, puigventos, olesa de montserrat

Roe buck nightlife

Roe buck in feeding

Roe buck resting in the forest