São Marcos da Ataboeira is a Portuguese town/parish in the municipality of Castro Verde, with an area of 103,39 km² and a population of 373 (2009). The village was integrated into the municipality of Castro Verde during the nineteenth century, and is situated 13 km north east from the county seat.

It is a territory where the pseudo-steppe

Steppe

In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...

 is predominant, and grazing has an important role in preserving the traditional landscape. The area of the parish belongs to the SPA - Special Protection Area

Special Protection Area

A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...

, for endangered species of steppe birds such as the Great Bustard

Great Bustard

The Great Bustard is in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Otis. It breeds in southern and central Europe, where it is the largest species of bird, and across temperate Asia...

 and Lesser Kestrel

Lesser Kestrel

The Lesser Kestrel is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across southern central Asia to China and Mongolia. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometimes even to India and Iraq. It is rare north of its breeding range, and declining in its European...

. The SPA makes part of the Natura 2000

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...

 project of the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

.

A few kilometres from the nearby town of Salto sits the chapel of 'Our Lady of Aracelis', a place of pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

and festivities during the first weekend of September.

External links

• Town Hall official website- (Portuguese: Use Google Translate to convert to other languages)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Portugal