Important Bird Areas

Sebkhet Sedjoumi, Tunisia

Photo copyright: Hichem Azafzaf

Tunisia is a major area of concentration for migrants including soaring species like birds of prey, European White Stork Ciconia ciconia and Common Crane Grus grus. In spring they move northwards through the country, concentrating at El Haouaria at the tip of Cape Bon before continuing their 146 km journey across the Mediterranean to Italy. In this period up to 40,000 individuals of 23 species of raptor may be observed including threatened species such as Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus and Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni. In addition to this huge concentration, thousands of passerines cross Tunisia during the autumn and spring migrations and are observed in coastal areas and oases.

Salt-pans, like those at Thyna, are also of great importance for many tens of thousands of birds in the migration and wintering periods. Island biotopes, like the archipelagos of Galita and Zembra, provide refuge for Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae and Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii.

A remarkable 46 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) have been identified in Tunisia by BirdLife International covering 12,529 km2, equivalent to 7.6% of the land-surface area of the country. 16 sites are protected areas. 35 sites are inland or coastal wetlands and qualify as IBAs as a result of the number of waterbirds they hold. Representative species of both the Mediterranean North Africa biome with 16 species covered in 16 sites and the Sahara-Sindian biome with 13 species covered in 8 sites occur in Tunisia.

Sidi Toui NP, Tunisia

Photo copyright: Hichem Azafzaf

Barrage Lebna, Tunisia

Photo copyright: Hichem Azafzaf

The list of IBAs is as follows:

Galite archipelago HR; Ichkeul NP; Zembra and Zembretta Islands NP; Djebel el Haouaria HR; Garaet Mabtouh; Mlaâbi reservoir HR; Mornaguia reservoir HR; Sidi Abdelmonem reservoir HR; Lake de Tunis (Lake Radès) HR; Sebkhet Sedjoumi HR; Soliman; Lebna reservoir HR; Zaghouan aqueduct HR; Lagune de Korba HR; Masri reservoir HR; Sebkhet Sidi Khelifa; Sebkhet Halk el Menzel; Oued Sed HR; Kairouan plains; Sebkhet Kelbia NR; Salines de Monastir HR; Metbassta; El Houareb reservoir HR; Sebkhet Sidi el Hani; Chaâmbi NP; Kerkennah islands HR; Salines de Thyna HR; Bouhedma NP; Garaet Douza; Gafsa; Sebkhet en Noual HR; Kneiss NR; Sebkhet Sidi Mansour; Sebkhet Dreïaa HR; Chott Djerid; Bordj Kastil HR; Gourine; Boughrara HR; Sebkhet Noual HR; Douz Laâla HR; Snam; Ghidma HR; Jbil NP; Bibane; Sidi Toui NP; El Feidja NP.

HR= Hunting Reserve, NR=Natural reserve. NP= National Park.

Further information on Tunisia’s IBAs can be found at BirdLife International.

Last page update 6th September 2009