• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
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• Reference and further resources

Site description (2001 baseline)
Busuanga (87,500 ha) is the largest island in the Calamian group, to the north of Palawan. There are two mountain ranges on the island, the Chinabayan and the Wayan ranges. It retains patches of open canopy broadleaf lowland forest, consisting of small to medium sized trees on poor soil, which are mostly found on ridges.

Key biodiversity
Several of the threatened and restricted-range species of the Palawan Endemic Bird Area have been recorded on Busuanga in the past, including the threatened Blue-headed Racquet-tail and Palawan Hornbill, and a population of the threatened Philippine Cockatoo was recently reported to be present there.

Non-bird biodiversity: This IBA supports many of the endemic mammals of Palawan region, including Palawan stink badger Mydaus marchei, Calamian hog-deer Axis calamianensis, Palawan tree shrew Tupaia palawanensis and Palawan flying fox Acerodon leucotis. Other Palawan-confined mammals in this IBA include bearded pig Sus barbatus, leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis, Palawan porcupine Hystrix pumila, and short-tailed mongoose Herpestes brachyurus. Marine animals recorded in the waters off this IBA include green turtle Chelonia mydas, hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata, Philippine crocodile Crocodylus mindorensis, estuarine crocodile C. porosus and bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus. The Philippine discoglossid frog Barbourula busuangensis, which is endemic to Palawan faunal region, has been recorded on this IBA.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Busuanga Island (Philippines). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/busuanga-island-iba-philippines on 23/12/2024.