Fauna

The Mediterranean scrub is the kingdom of the Maremma fauna. In the intricate tangle of bushes and plants, the wild boar still reigns, the symbol (along with the buttero) of the Tuscan Maremma, alongside the last specimens of wild cats, the increasingly rare porcupine and badgers, hares, pheasants, martens, weasels, hedgehogs, partridges , martens, foxes, roe deer and fallow deer. And in autumn, as if to repeat an ancient ritual, the Maremma man also returns to the bush, to look for mushrooms, ova and porcini mushrooms, to set traps, to beat the wild boar. Just as the bush is the kingdom of the secret, the intimate, the closed and of strong colours, so the swamp (wet area) is the kingdom of the unknown, of open and still horizons, of nuanced colors that blend together. It is a kingdom only for fauna, especially from October to June, when it is completely flooded. You come across a large number of migratory birds, many African species, wallowing in the clear waters or crossing each other in the skies under the eyes of the black marsh harriers that glide low, along the line of the reeds, waiting for prey. Large gray herons fly slowly in the sky, flying majestically. The egrets and red herons rise like an arrow from the groups of reeds. Mallards and coots nest among the canals and ponds and it is not uncommon to encounter the rare black-winged stilt, a slender, white wader with lacquered black wings and slender, very long red legs. During the summer drought the marsh dries up and is abandoned by most migratory species.

For centuries, in Maremma, cows and calves have grazed freely in the wild throughout the territory, guided by the legendary butteri riding their Maremma horse.

In the cultivated areas of the Maremma, the imposing Maremma cattle emerge, with long horns and a dirty-white and gray coat, and the Maremmano horse, of small stature, endowed with great resistance, strength and liveliness. Among the birds, blackcaps, great tits, jays, blackbirds, green woodpeckers and various birds of prey including the buzzard, the owl and the kestrel prevail, as well as numerous species of migrants. In humid or river environments it is possible to find the coypu or beaver, originally from South America and perfectly adapted to the Maremma Regional Natural Park – or Uccellina Park – after having escaped from farms in the area, replacing the otter, which is now almost completely extinct .

• Read also: Maremmano horse – Life companion of the buttero, it is strong and lively, used in all wars in the past.