Hotspots

Banc d`Arguin National Park is a Natural World Heritage Site and Ramsar site. It is situated on the Atlantic desert-coast of Mauritania, midway between Nouakchott in the south and Nouâdhibou in the north, approximately 150 km south-south-east of Nouâdhibou.

The park holds large numbers of wintering waders including Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola, Red Knot Calidris canutus, Common Redshank Tringa totanus and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica. Breeding birds include Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus, Long-tailed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus, Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica, Caspian Tern S. caspia, Royal Tern S. maxima and Common Tern S. hirundo. There are publications about this National Park including a park guide.

Parc National du Diawling in the lower delta of the River Senegal is an important collecting and breeding ground for waterfowl. Together with the Senegalese part of the delta, where the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj is situated, this area provides an important feeding and watering site for numerous Palearctic migrants. The mangrove swamp supports breeding colonies of Purple Heron Ardea purpurea, Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax, African Spoonbill Platalea alba, Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus. Small numbers of bustards, guineafowl and francolins are present.