Data Zone
Country/territory: Gibraltar (to UK)
IBA Criteria met: A1, A4i, A4ii, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, C1, C2, C3, C4 (2007)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 17,000 ha
Site description
The Strait of Gibraltar is defined here as the sea area demarcated in the west by a straight line joining Cape Trafalgar on the European coast with Cape Spartel on the North African coast, and in the east by a straight line joining the Rock of Gibraltar on the European coast to Ceuta (enclave of Spain) on the North African coast. It includes international waters and waters under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom, Spain and Morocco, and is 15 km wide at its narrowest point.
Key biodiversity
Hundreds of thousands of birds that migrate between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic over the sea pass through the Strait of Gibraltar, including highly significant numbers of Calonectris diomedea, Larus audouinii and Fratercula arctica.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Strait of Gibraltar. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 25/03/2023.
