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Site description (2022 baseline):
Site location and context
The site comprises a c.14,8 km stretch of rugged cliffs along the south-western coast of the island of Santiago, from the fishers’ village of Porto Mosquito to the South of the fishers’ village of Porto Rincão, a large and relatively well-sheltered bay. At Baía do Inferno the cliffs are exceedingly steep and the maximum height, on the hill Angra, is 577 m. This is simultaneously one of the highest points in the Natural Park of Baía do Inferno and Monte Angra, the highest coastal cliff in Cabo Verde and one of the highest in the entire North Atlantic.
The colony of the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) on the southern cliffs of Baía do Inferno is the largest in Cabo Verde and holds c.3000 individuals (2022 estimate). The site also holds one of the largest colonies of the Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) in Cabo Verde. The site is also an important breeding area for other bird species such as Calonectris edwardsii, Hydrobates jabejabe, Puffinus boydi, Passer iagoensis, Apus alexandri and Falco alexandri. One or two pairs of Pandion haliaetus and some pairs of Egretta garzetta also breed along the cliffs. The site probably holds the largest colony of Acacia caboverdeana, an endemic tree species. The endemic terrestrial reptile Delalande's Skink (Chioninia delalandii) can be also observed at the site.
MAVA Foundation, BirdLife International, Rufford Foundation, The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Cabo Verde, Vivo Energy, University of Coimbra, University of Algarve. Site identified during the MAVA funded project: "Conserving the seabirds of Cabo Verde" (2020 - 2022). Partner consultation supported by Ana Veiga (BirdLife Project Manager, Cabo Verde) and Jonathan Handley (BirdLife, UK). Site identification supported by: Samir Martins (BIOS.CV), Herculano Dinis (Projecto Vitó), Albert Taxonera (Associação Projeto Biodiversidade), Marcos Hernández (Associação Projeto Biodiversidade), Isabel Fortes (Biosfera), Catelene Monteiro (Biosfera), Pedro Geraldes (SPEA ), Ariana Cabral (Lantuna), Jacob González-Solís (University of Barcelona), Teresa Militão (University of Barcelona), Vitor Paiva (University of Coimbra).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Coastal cliffs between Porto Mosquito and Baia do Inferno (Cape Verde). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/coastal-cliffs-between-porto-mosquito-and-baia-do-inferno-iba-cape-verde on 22/11/2024.
