Torrevieja battles feral chicken surge amid avian flu restrictions

TORREVIEJA has a well-known feral chicken problem: the Torrevieja Town Council has managed to remove more than 125 roosters, hens and chicks from public spaces in the town centre, but many more remain in the town’s public areas, parks and gardens. The capture of the birds is being limited by the current bout of avian flu, which restricts Torrevieja authorities from moving the birds outside the municipality until the alert is lifted.

Feral bird populations overtake Torrevieja

While the exact origin of the “infestation” is unclear, the flock first appeared around Villa Amalia in 2014 and have been breeding naturally in urban areas ever since, leading to a steady growth in their population. In a single roundabout in Torrevieja, it is not uncommon to see groups of dozens of birds, and in the decade or so since their arrival, they have spread to occupy more and more of Torrevieja’s green spaces, including La Veleta and San Roque. Significant populations are also maintained in La Estación Park and Las Naciones Park, though they have less foot and vehicle traffic.

Torrevieja’s clucking conundrum

The municipality had previously made some progress towards controlling the population of feral birds when a contract to remove them was awarded to a company. However, the company withdrew from the project in August 2025, presenting a snag for officials. Finally, another contract was awarded for the task in October of 2025, and a significant number of animals were removed from public spaces, but many more birds remain.

The guidelines imposed by the Regional Government of Valencia warn that the birds must remain in an animal shelter or sanctuary and in optimal welfare conditions. Except in cases of illness, the animals are not to be euthanised.

Luckily, the Torrevieja Town Council has managed to designate an animal shelter for the birds until it is safe to move them to a permanent location, but due to limited space, no more birds can be collected until the Regional Government of Valencia approves the transfer of the birds already in the shelter to another location.

Torrevieja remains avian flu-free for now

Before the start of the capture operation, there were estimated to be a jaw-dropping 700 feral chickens occupying public spaces in the municipality. Currently, 20 per cent of the service has been completed. As of yet, there has also been no recorded outbreak of avian flu in Torrevieja, in neither the captured chickens nor the wild ones.

The same cannot be said for the neighbouring municipality of Guardamar del Segura, in which authorities have had to cull some 50 birds due to an outbreak of the disease.

For now, though Torrevieja officials face significant chicken-related challenges, authorities are continuing to work to ensure the safety of the animals and the public, while reducing the rapidly-growing roost in the Costa Blanca hub.