Data Zone
Country/territory: Portugal
IBA criteria met: A4ii, A4iii, B1ii, B2, C2, C4, C6 (2002)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 9,560 hectares (95.60 km2)
Site description (2002 baseline)
A small archipelago of rocky islets, the only sizeable such group off the Portuguese mainland, located c.8 km off the west coast. The largest of the islets covers only 2.5 km2Tourists and anglers visit the area in spring and summer.
Key biodiversity
This is the only known breeding colony of Oceanodroma castro near the European mainland. The site holds 10,000 or more pairs of seabirds on a regular basis. The number of breeding Larus cachinnans has increased dramatically in recent years and this colony is now controlled by culling. Berlenga marks the southern limit in Europe for breeding Uria aalge, with 45 individuals (declined from 6,000 pairs in 1939), and the northern limit for breeding Calonectris diomedea. Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site: Falco peregrinus (2 pairs).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Berlenga and Farilhões islands (Portugal). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/berlenga-and-farilhões-islands-iba-portugal on 27/12/2024.